


The Unforgivable Sins of a Vampire Dad

by WitchoftheMareBeast



Category: Original Work
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-20
Updated: 2016-08-03
Packaged: 2018-06-09 14:44:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 34,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6911425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WitchoftheMareBeast/pseuds/WitchoftheMareBeast
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Pellegrino begins the unhealthy habit of being a compulsive liar.</p>
          </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Pellegrino woke that morning slowly, as if some unseen entity wanted him to wake with ease. 

  
He stretched like a cat that just woke up from a relaxing nap in the hot sun, letting out a loud yawn. One of the things he did notice right away was how good he was feeling this morning. Like he was so full of life and health. It might just be one of those days where he does go about in a good mood, which isn’t a bad thing. Pellegrino liked it when he woke up like this. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, casting their gaze around the room before he saw the half moon outside of the cloudy window next to his bed, soon to be full. He swallowed, licking his front teeth, feeling the points of his fangs rub against his tongue as his eyes stayed focused on the moon. There was a taste of blood, but not his own, and he searched his tired mind for the explanation as to why.  
  


That’s right. Last night, he left the house to feed. He must have come home afterwards. However, it didn’t explain why his room was such a wreck. He took note of that as he glanced around the tossed items off of shelves and the clothing hamper knocked over. His first thought was to question how it happened, but couldn’t think of anything that happened for the room that he took care of best to look this awful. Then again, it was nothing too bad, he thought, as he wasn’t someone who just let messes go unnoticed. That didn’t take away the unusual behavior out of the situation, but he wasn’t about to let it stop him from deciding to fix it.   
  


He pulled his gaze away from the moon to push himself up on the bed, the blankets messily strewn about the bed itself, glancing around once more before he set off to cleaning up the area. He did take notice that his hand was covered in blood, but he immediately blamed it on the idea that he must have gotten messy the night before while feeding. It’s happened. It’s also ruined an abundance of his clothing (and people wonder why vampires wear black all of the time). 

  
He started by picking the clothing hamper up, stuffing the clothes back inside and setting it back in the corner of the room before picking up the randomly tossed items and setting them back neatly on the shelves. With a proud huff, putting his hands on his hips, he turned his gaze back to the moon in the sky. A breath of fresh air was a nice thought, really, as he walked over to the sliding glass door, pushing it open with a simple sweep of his hand and stepping outside.  
  


It was chilly out tonight, he took note, as he drew his red cloak around him tighter. He approached the edge, leaning against it, arms resting on the railing as he kept his eyes on the moon, ignoring the bustling of the human people that worked the night. Honestly, that’s why he preferred the night over the day. Many people would be inside and at home. It wasn’t as many crowds to bother with. Vampires could walk whatever time of day they wanted, but Pellegrino really did decide being the stereotype was better. Day time was too hot, and there were too many angry people shoving their way through life to go to work. Pellegrino couldn’t stand those type of people in all honestly. He didn’t understand how some people could be so bitter when they were going to be thirty minutes early anyway.   
  


He took a deep breath, the cold air refreshing. He was already feeling good, but the cold breeze was amazing. Even if it was a bit much, it felt nice against his skin. He supposed he should be a tad bit more concerned on how his room got into that state, but instead of worrying about it, he decided not to. Weirder things have happened, he supposed, and a clean house is a clear mind. So just as long as it was clean now, he shouldn’t have to worry. He’s sure maybe he just knocked things over last night by accident.  
  
  
But, at the thought of the night before, Pellegrino raised an eyebrow to himself as he began to try and reflect on the meal he had, but he distinctly doesn’t remember doing it. He’s sure he fed, as he feels full and good, but he can’t remember the person. Maybe that’s why he knocked things over in his room. Maybe the human hit him so hard while feeding that he was actually hurt and stumbled all the way home. It was the only explanation he could think of right then, so he went with it. It’s not like it hadn’t happened before, as humans put up quite the fight for their lives when they felt threatened - especially by a vampire. Pellegrino wasn’t too keen on killing the humans he fed on, as it was much easier to just feed and let them go, but the thought still bothered him. In fact, he got more bothered by the second.  
  


Where did he feed last night, anyway? He remembered heading for the park, but he doesn’t remember feeding, or coming home. It was a bit weird, but it was weirder when he realized the more he thought about it, the more he didn’t remember much of the night before. The last thing he remembered doing was tossing and turning on his bed, panting, desperately trying to hold off on feeding before he decided to just get it over with. He didn’t mean to hold off from feeding for so long, as his own particular business got too busy to stop and worry about himself. He put it off for about a week until the night before when he had to just get it over with before he lost his mind. His closest friend, Akantha, often told him what an unhealthy habit he had of doing just that, as the longer he waited to feed, the more the human he was feeding on would have to suffer the consequences.  
  


He’d rather not take advice from someone like Akantha though, seeing as the woman had no issue on pulling aside the first human she saw and feeding in the spot that suited her idea for being ‘secluded’. Her reckless behavior was going to expose them someday if she wasn’t careful, but Pellegrino was no better, seeing as he let his victims go with a warning that if word got out on what happened to them, he’d finish the job. He’s not fond of treating humans that way, as he remembered what it was like to be so foolish and defenseless back all those years ago, but he had to be stern if he was going to let them live. It seemed for the most part, that sort of intimidation was working on them, as they kept their mouths shut. He’s returned to a few of them for feeding, actually. A deal of sorts that they made with them that he could feed off of them as long as they got paid for it.   
  
  
Pellegrino wouldn’t lie. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and had more then enough money to go around to people, so $200 a feeding session was more or less a steal. Sure, it was lazy of him, but hell, why hunt when he could toss a few dollars at a willing human? Akantha, again, didn’t approve of the behavior, telling Pellegrino it was awful of him to make humans suffer the life of a walking blood bank, but he shrugged his shoulders at her and made sure she knew it was none of her business how he fed. But none of those humans were available the night before, as he called them up, saying he was more then a little desperate at that point, but when he was shot down, he decided to go on the hunt. He had the instincts, and like most vampires actually enjoyed the thrill of the hunt, but it was just a bother to have to chase them down each time just for mouthfuls of blood.  
  


But, the more important issue right now was: why couldn’t he remember anything?   
  


Pellegrino reached a hand up to run through his hair, though when he glanced at his own hand a second time and noticed the blood on the back of it once more, his breath caught in his throat. He touched his hair, and something was matted to it in a thick layer. It was dry. Something once liquid. He stood there, in a mild state of panic as he desperately searched his memory for some answers, but none came. He had no idea what happened last night, and when you feel something similar to blood covering your whole body in a state like that, you’re first choice of action will be to panic.   
  


That was when he rushed back inside the house, flipped on the light, trying to find something to look at himself in, though when he heard a soft voice from the living room, he stopped in his steps.  
  


People were in his house. With a feral growl leaving his throat, he headed towards it, definitely knowing something was wrong now despite waking up feeling the greatest he’s felt in years. He flashed his fangs the second he entered the living room, but his eyes widened when he spotted no one. At least, not right away. He glanced around the living room, his heart pounding, but it almost shot up into his throat in a fit of panic when he saw two people laying on the carpet.  
  


One of them, the boy, was stirring, but slowly settled back down and continued to sleep. They both were obviously adolescent, but it concerned him when he realized the two fresh bite wounds on their necks. He assumed that they must have been the kids he fed off last night, but when he breathed in the air of the living room, filled with their scent, they were unmistakably reeking of the smell of a newborn vampire. Their blood having recently made the shift in change was powerful in their veins, and they’d yet to wake up from it.   
  


That’s when Pellegrino’s hands flew up to his mouth in horror, stepping away, his back almost hitting the nearest wall if he hadn’t stumbled over his own feet. It wasn’t that hard to put together, seeing as it was a bit convenient to have two newly born vampires in his own home and him not be responsible for the changes. He had to have done it. But even so, even if he did, what in the hell did he do last night to decide to turn two kids into vampires? Nonetheless, what actually happened to him the night before? How come he couldn’t remember anything? His mind was racing with too many questions, his heartbeat dangerously quick, though he almost fainted when he turned his head to catch his reflection in the decorate glass case standing in the corner of his room. His heart clenched in his chest, almost screaming if he didn't recognize himself.   
  


His clothing was tattered, and not to mention soaked in blood. His cheeks, his hands, his pants, his absolute everything at least had a splash of blood on it. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from his own reflection in pure realization that he looked like a complete monster, and not to mention he likely just tore these two children out of their lives and into a world he would never wish upon any normal person. Being a vampire was in fact a gift, and he’s glad he’s made the change, but to force that change upon children was an idea that disgusted him the second he thought it. To make those children his own by complete...complete…   
  


He couldn’t even remember if they consented. He can’t remember if they told him yes or no. There’s a good chance he just turned them without caring to listen to either of their pleas. He doesn’t know their names, he can’t remember meeting them, he can’t remember where they were the night before when he must of met them. He can’t remember how much blood he drank, he can’t remember the reason why his coated in blood, he can’t remember how any of the things he woke up to this morning happened. And that panic set in as he finally grabbed his chest, his heart racing underneath, horrified at the thought that he knew damn well he had to be responsible for the majority of it all.  
  


“Fuck…” He mumbled, back hitting the wall finally, sliding down to the floor.   
  


What was he supposed to do about all of this? He can’t really abandon two newly born vampire children, seeing as that would be against the law of vampires. They were his own. They belonged to him until they were considered mature vampires. It would be up to him to teach them the law, way, and life of a vampire, and the shitty part was that he couldn’t even remember how it all happened or what drove him the night before to think he was responsible for all of it.  
  


What has he done?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pellegrino begins the unhealthy habit of being a compulsive liar.

Immediately, Pellegrino called Akantha after he recovered from the shock. He tried not to make to it obvious that his voice was shaking in fear. He asked if she saw him last night maybe, but his hopes were destroyed when she answered that she never even talked to him the night before. Curious, she pressed on what was wrong, but he didn’t want to tell her right away. Not until he could figure the situation out for himself. He hung up on her abruptly before she could persistently ask what was wrong, throwing the phone back onto the wall with a loud slam. The kids were still sleeping, but he didn’t really try to make anything he was doing quiet.

He needed to figure out what to do. His mind was all over the place, scattered and shattered, different from how he woke. Besides the fact that he had two children now, what concerned him more was his appearance. His own fucking reflection scared the shit out of him, and that fact meant something bad. He’s given up on trying to remember, because obviously nothing was going to come to him. He would like to know how he turned these two kids, and he would like to remember how he got covered head to toe in blood, but it wasn’t going to happen. That meant he needed to come up with something quick. The best bet he had out of anything was hoping the kids knew something when they woke up. But, for now, he wanted all of this nasty shit off of him. His clothes, the blood - he just wanted to feel clean. He just wanted to feel like he wasn’t a mass murderer.

Finally stepping away from the phone, he turned toward the bathroom and walked away from the two quickly. Really, maybe he should stop and check to see if they were okay, but no, not like this, not with the way he was looking. If he was going to do this, he wasn’t going to appear like a monster. No. He was going to wash every drop of blood off of him, even if it took hours. He pushed open the door to the bathroom, slamming it closed behind him, locking the door with a loud click that echoed in the room before stripping all of his clothes off, tossing them in a pile next to the sink, desperate to feel the warm water on his skin. Relief sought out in the most unsuspected places, really, was more complicated then he’d like to think life was. Because, quite frankly, in this case, this was something money couldn’t fix. Everything he’s ever stumbled upon in the past was likely an issue he could have fixed with a few hundred spent, but this? Two children, a bloody scene, and the lack of memory on what happened to him?

God, he wished.

He scrubbed every inch of his body, watching as the clear water turned rusty, going down his drain. Smelling the blood made him extremely nauseous. He didn’t know how much he drank last night, but he was beginning to associate it with the fact he was covered in blood. To feel so full and to feel like he would actually throw up just from the smell of blood was an awful sign. He was balancing between two different mindsets: the mindset where he did want to know what happened, and the mindset where he believed that some things are better left unsaid. He felt his stomach clench at the thought of figuring out what in the world happened, but at the same time , he felt as if he’d have a better conscious if he did find out. He supposed it wouldn’t hurt to start retracing his steps, but as he stepped out of the shower, he had to acknowledge the bigger problem right now: the two fledglings.

Rubbing the towel against his hair, he breathed in the steam clouding up the air, then wrapped the towel around his waist. Peeking out the door to be sure the two of them were still out, and though they seemed to be more awake then before, he hurriedly scurried over to his room, closing the door behind him. He opened his closet, tore down some casual clothing, pulling them on his body, before sighing and let his refreshed, clean body hit the somewhat cold bed that accepted him rather quickly. He growled loudly into his pillow, his head beginning to throb, the shower unable to fix that. He rubbed at his forehead as he rolled over onto his side, thinking about what he should do next.

His first thought was to ask the fledglings what they remember. It wouldn’t hurt. Because from there, he could still have his options. If they remembered a lot, then, they could tell him what he was doing. If they didn’t know much, then that was fine, then he could play it off smoothly. He wasn’t too keen on lying to his children (oh god, that was so weird to think about), but what has to happened will have to happen. Pellegrino took a deep breath, collected his scattered being and tried to hold it in a bit longer before pushing himself off of the bed, moving toward the door once more. He opened it, stepping out of his room, and headed down the hallway to the living room.

He glanced at his reflection again, glad to see it less monstrous and more so a calm exterior. His eyes dropped to the kids on the floor, and sighed.

But he almost jumped out of his skin when the girl’s eyes suddenly opened, seemingly glaring at him, but was rather just squinting at his figure. Knowing that he had no choice, Pellegrino walked over to the girl, kneeling by her side and gently touched her face with his hand. She reacted to the touch by leaning away from it, and though his heart sunk a little at that, he quickly took note she seemed more surprised by the sudden contact over anything. It must have been the new sensitivity settling in her body. Careful to not hurt her, Pellegrino slipped his arms under her body, lifting her up to comfortably settle her on the couch. Once she was settled there, he patted her head gently, somewhat awkwardly, before doing the same for the boy, but instead setting him on the chair in the corner of the room. With a deep breath, he turned back to the girl, who was rubbing at her head.

Trying his best to keep a casual exterior, he chuckled lowly.

“Well, hey, sleepyhead. You two have been out for a while.”

He has no idea how long they’ve been asleep. Oh well.  
  
  
She didn’t reply for a minute, as if trying to force herself awake, but couldn’t. She was taking deep breaths, furiously rubbing at her eyes, and he heard the boy stir behind him in his sleep though he hadn’t awoken fully yet. Pellegrino kept his eyes on the girl, who finally managed to at least push herself up just slightly to be leaning against the armrest.  
  
  
“Wh...Who are you?”  
  
  
“What? Are you saying you don’t remember me?”  
  
  
Well, Pellegrino didn’t remember either of them, so he’s being a hypocrite. She shook her head at him, her fiery red curls falling over her shoulders at the motion, and his hopes dropped at that. So it seemed the girl didn’t remember much, which left the boy, who abruptly reached out and tugged on Pellegrino’s shirt. Turning around, the boy was in the same condition. Clutching his head, rubbing at his eyes, seemingly very exhausted. He gave him the best smile he could.  
  
  
“What about you? Do you remember me?”  
  
  
“I...I don’t have a clue…”  
  
  
“Don’t you two remember what happened at all last night?”  
  
  
They both shook their heads, and Pellegrino tried to hide his disappointment by clapping his hands together once, going to the middle of the room. He wasn’t entirely sure how to break it to these kids that they’re creatures of the night, but hopefully it wouldn’t be too hard on them. The girl finally pulled her hands away from her face, giving Pellegrino a look with big, brown eyes, somewhat desperate and demanding of an explanation. He didn’t really know how to talk to kids, but then again, these two looked to be older. He went to her side, calmly and slowly, as if not to startle her and knelt by her side.  
  
  
“You two seem to have made the transformation well, at least.”  
  
  
“Transformation?” The boy demanded.  
  
  
“Yeah. Vampires, y’know?”  
  
  
It was the easiest way he could say it, even if all emotion drained of the two faces. He shrugged his shoulders, keeping it casual, but he put his arm carefully around the young girl, and flashed a kind, loving look at the boy across the room, who abruptly wanted nothing to do with him. The sister, however, took more of a liking to the idea then the brother seemed to right away. He could see her rubbing her tongue up against her newly protruding fangs, uncertain of how to react right away, but it wasn’t negatively when she began to smile softly.  
  
  
“Yeah. You guys don’t remember? Last night, you asked me to turn you into vampires.”  
  
  
And yet, there was another lie. Bigger then the last one. Pellegrino swallowed harshly, gone by unnoticed by the two of them, but the boy shook his head, throwing his hand down against the chair with a loud thump throughout the household. Pellegrino cast him a disapproving glance, silently reprimanding him for the attitude, but he knew he had a right to be angry. But he had to play it off. He had to insist the idea. He had to make them believe that he was telling the truth, even if it took a while. He didn’t want to manipulate them. He didn’t want to be a bad person. He didn’t want to lie to them in the first place, but he didn’t want them to think that they were in a bad environment. Because they weren’t. Pellegrino would raise them to be good vampires, and the day eventually would come where they found out the truth anyway. But for now, as newly born fledglings, he needed to hide the bigger picture from them.

“The name’s Pellegrino. _Benvenuto a casa mia_.” He said, giving a big, fanged smile to the both of them. He’s never faked a smile so hard in his life, but it was believable apparently, as the boy rolled his eyes at him and the girl was smiling wide in return. Clearing his throat from the lack of reaction or reply from the two of them, the awkward tension settling in, he turned around to face the girl.

“Well, ehehe...uh, what are your names?”

The girl, now sitting rather then laying back, answered first. Her brother was more the skeptical of him. He hoped that would fade over time. Pellegrino didn’t want there to be any reason between the two of them to not trust him. He had to establish he was a good person, even if he’s fucked up beyond belief because of the night before. He didn’t know who knew what, so he would have to ask around until he was sure these two wouldn’t find out the truth of it all. The girl reached out and grabbed his shirt, drawing his attention toward her.

“Calliope. And that over there is my brother - “

“Athan.” He cut in, though kept his gaze on the floor. “Look, _Pellegrino,_ I’m going to go ahead and call bullshit on all of this. Vampires aren’t real.”

“They are. I mean, you kinda...are one now, so…”

“Bullshit.”

“You have fangs.”

“That...doesn’t mean anything.”

Pellegrino smirked. “Oh? Then what does it mean, if you’re not a vampire?”

“I grew abnormally large teeth overnight. I’d believe _that_ over being a vampire any time.”

Pellegrino really didn’t know why this kid was in denial. It was somewhat dumb to sit back and avoid the truth. It was the only thing he was honest about so far, and yet he seemed to throw away everything he was telling him. The girl, Calliope, shook her head at her brother before crossing her arms on her chest. Now, Pellegrino could get along with her at least. She after all was the only one here who believed him. He supposed he should consider that to be a bad quality, because she was so easy to believe in him when she was believing every lie he said. But it would be easy to make her so blind to the truth. The thought of continuing to lie to these kids sent a chill down his spine, as he didn’t want to lie to his children, but what other choice did he have?

“Well, believe what you want, I guess. There isn't shame in admitting you’re a bloodthirsty creature, though.”

He narrowed his eyes, immediately getting defensive. He was glaring daggers at Pellegrino, who more or less looked at him with confusion.

“I’m _not_ a monster.”

“You’re not. You’re not a monster. Er, sorry. Maybe bloodthirsty creature wasn’t the best way to put that.”

He screwed up again, but at least he made the effort for a save. That was a good thing, right? He opened his mouth to speak again, but the phone started ringing. Glancing at it, offering the two an apologetic look, he walked over to it and answered, lifting it to his ear with a loud huff of air, his heart racing with anxiety and mistakes.

“Hello?”

“Pellegrino? What the hell was that earlier?”

Akantha again. He laughed gently, trying to be casual, but he couldn’t even tell her what was going on with these two in the room. Turning back to them, telling Akantha to wait just a second, he offered the two some clothing. Telling them where his room was and where the clothes were, he watched as they stood and left, going back to the phone and lowered his voice the best he could, waiting for the sound of the door shutting to start speaking.

“I have kids.”

“What?”

“I have two kids.”

“Well...uh...congratulations?”

“No, no. You don’t get it. I don’t remember anything from last night. I just remember being starved, and so I went out to hunt, and I...I can’t remember anything after that. I woke up, and they were just here.”

The line went silent. She seemed to be gathering words, but each second that passed without a reply made the anxiety in heart worsen. He took a deep breath, gripping the phone, raising a hand to his chest as if to soothe the racing beats, but when she spoke again, she seemed to be curious over anything else.

“You’re sure they’re yours?”

“Yeah. I’m pretty sure. Just...Akantha, are you sure you didn’t see me last night? At all? Anywhere?”

“Positive. You never even called me. Sorry, ‘Grin. Wish I could help.”

“No, it’s fine. Please, don’t tell anyone though. Not even the kids. I just told them they asked to be turned. They don’t seem like they remember anything either.”

Pellegrino might not be in front of her, but he could just see her shaking her head at him through the phone. He knew she would disapprove of him lying, but they didn’t have time to sit back and discuss the growing issue. He quietly told her that he needed to go just as the bedroom door opened back up, the two stepping out in some cleaner clothing. He slammed the phone down before she could say anything else, and when they stepped in the room, Calliope was giving him a worried look.

“Uh...is everything okay?”

He laughed nervously. “Fine, fine. Everything is fine.”

Pellegrino turned to face them, clapping his hands together again.

“So. Who’s hungry?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pellegrino receives a letter from the elder that governs the area he's in. With suspicions of treachery on his back, he feels uneasy, but believes there's not much to worry about.

“ _Fretta_ , you two.”  
  
  
“I don’t even know what that means.”

Pellegrino picked up the heavy metal part, giving his two children a wide smile as he placed the metallic piece in Athan’s hands. With a loud huff, he carried it over to the nearest table, setting it down on top with a loud clink throughout the room. Wiping his rust and grease covered hands on the rag, he turned around and gave the two a wide smile. It wasn’t that hard ever since that incident to get back to his usual self, especially after the two accepted him. Years had passed, and they’d come to see him as a real father. It was weird when they both started to refer to him as ‘father’, and ‘dad’. He’d laughed at first, coughing nervously, but insisted that if it made them comfortable, they could call him what they like. They were becoming well-matured vampires, strong, sharp and smart. He praised them frequently.

“It means quickly. _Il mio dolce ragazzo_ , shouldn’t you know this by now?”

“I don’t know what that means either.”

“I should teach you _Italiano_ then.”

Calliope herself lifted another heavy piece, setting it on the table. The abandoned building was an easy purchase, seeing it was as cheap as storage could come, and he really needed a place to move a bunch of his older stuff into. He didn’t really know if he wanted to spend time cleaning it, painting it, making it look nicer for his own pleasure. It would be pointless, seeing as only he would be coming in and out to put a bunch of his stuff into. Stuff he didn’t need anymore, but wasn’t willing to part with. Calliope insisted he sell some of it, but instead of listening to the more reasonable option, he bought the storage. She asked him what was so important about all of it, and he replied that when you’re over 400 years old like him, you’re just not willing to part with a whole lot that meant something to you all those years ago.

  
However, he wasn’t stubborn enough to gift the two of them some things. A locket that once belonged to his human mother for Calliope, and a sword for Athan. Athan joked that he really doesn’t see use for this now, but Pellegrino told him to never write off the possibility. Besides, it looked nice in his room. It could simply be used as decoration, but Pellegrino offered to teach him and Calliope sword fighting if they ever wished it. They seemed amazed, curious, but Pellegrino said it was nothing to marvel at. He was honest about it, remembering all those times people knocked him flat on his butt in a fight, but he knew enough to teach them.

“I wouldn’t mind that, actually. Then I could understand all the times you’ve cursed at someone.” Calliope commented. “But why is this place cluttered with junk?”

“Belonged to someone that once fixed cars.”

“This was a workshop then?”

“That I’m turning into a storage place, yes.”

“Oh…”

They sounded a bit tired. They’d been here since they all first woke up, and Pellegrino would bet they were exhausted. It wouldn’t hurt if they stopped now, seeing as they cleared the majority of it out. He turned to face them again with a loud sigh. He did admit, he was getting a little thirsty. It’d been awhile since they fed, and they must be feeling like they have a lack of energy. Approaching the two of them, clasping his hands on their shoulders, he drew them in for a brief hug.

“ _Grazie_ , you two.”

“Oh, that means thank you.” Calliope said with a proud tone of voice. Pellegrino ruffled her hair, chuckling slightly, unable to deny the feeling of delight swelling in his heart.

“See, you’re getting it! Lesson one: _grazie_ means thank you.”

Athan pouted, and Pellegrino ruffled his hair as well, patting them both on the back before going ahead, the two following behind him. The walk home was as quick as they came, but Pellegrino was in no hurry. He breathed in the scent of the town, tasting the air almost, before coming to his front door, unlocking it and holding the door for the two of them. Once they were all inside, he shut it behind him, though quickly stumbled when he saw Athan leaning down to pick something up and off of the floor. Holding the thing he retrieved out to him, he raised an eyebrow at the odd thing, taking it from him. A letter. It wasn’t unusual for him to receive mail, but what was the unusual part was the seal on the front of it. He recognized, with extreme disgust, who it belonged to.

“Ugh…”

“What is it?” Calliope questioned, already lounging on the couch. Pellegrino shrugged his cloak off, tossing it over the back of the chair as he ran his finger along the folded paper, opening it with disinterest. He’d rather just throw it away, but knowing her, he knew he had to or else he might miss something important. Athan joined his sister on the couch, both watching him curious before Athan broke away to turn on the TV, seemingly getting the hint that Pellegrino wasn’t going to respond right away until he was finished reading.

_“Pellegrino,_

_It has come to our attention that you have not been acting in the best interest of our kind lately. There has been evidence brought forth of your own treachery against the elder of this area. We will not bring you to trial right away, as Bonaventura Belladonna wants to speak with you herself. We expect your arrival around 2 A.M tonight. You will be held responsible if you do not arrive on time. Do not bring your children. Do not bring anyone._

_\- Thanatos.”_  
  
  
“Treachery?” Pellegrino spoke aloud, as if the word were unfamiliar to him. The letter was so short and so to-the-point bluntly put that it hurt to read. He searched his mind for a singular time he’d ever committed something like treachery, but the only thing he could think of was the fact he was paying humans to feed off of them. That by itself was a crime punishable with death, as it was both exposure of their kind and cooperating with humans, but otherwise, he always made sure their feeding sessions were private. No one ever walked in on them. No one was around when they happened. He didn’t feel concerned, however, as they might say they have evidence, but knowing a woman like Bonaventura Belladonna, he knew what was going to happen. The thought of her, however, disgusted Pellegrino. A power hungry tyrant always locked in a power struggle with the other nearby elder Thesselia Echo, both fighting to take over certain areas to gain more power. Honestly, he’s tempted to move toward the area that Thesselia governed, as she at least had a sense of morals about her.

“ _Bonaventura Belladonna_...” Pellegrino mumbled with an air of disinterest before tossing the letter aside.

“Who’s that?” Calliope asked.  
  
  
“Ah, well...do you remember when I taught you about how elders around the world govern vampires in certain areas?”  
  
  
“Yeah. Does she govern us?”

  
“Yes. However, we...do not particularly get along.”

  
“Why’s that?”

  
Pellegrino snorted, joining them on the couch, though was careful to give them more room.

  
“She’s a _cagna_.”

  
_“Cagna?”_

 

“Er, don’t say that. It’s just a bad thing to call someone. But ever since I first moved to America away from Italy all those years ago, we’ve never really got along. She’s someone who has to have control over everything she sees potential. I never acted how she wanted me to, but it’s not enough to get me in trouble. She wanted me as her own fledgling child, but I refused and stayed by my creator’s side.”

“She wanted you as her son?”  


“Apparently there was something missing from her life. She deduced that to having not turned anyone. She then tried to take me away from my creator and raise me herself, but I refused. She went out and got her own child then.”  


Thanatos. As soon as Pellegrino rejected her, she went and plucked Thanatos off of the street somewhere. An abandoned orphan, given the best gift any person could have requested in a situation like that: eternal life. Thanatos was loyal to her from the start, as she did save her from death all those years ago, but Pellegrino didn’t really enjoy her company either. Pellegrino could understand her gratefulness to Bonaventura Belladonna, but what he didn’t understand was why she had to be such a puppet. Thanatos was practically her go-to person when she had a job she didn’t want to do.

“Ah well, you two don’t really need to worry about it. She just wants me to see her later tonight.”

“Should we come?”

“She requested I come alone.”

Pellegrino tried to give them a reassuring look, but even they looked as uneasy as he did. It did leave a rather unsettling feeling in his stomach, but he didn’t want them to worry about things they didn’t need to. It would be fine. There wasn’t a thing to worry about, he was sure of. Even if there was actually evidence of his communication with humans in manners that exposed his kind, he could always say that it wasn’t solid. It was easy to talk circles around Belladonna. She wasn’t an idiot, but he could do what he needed to just to be sure she didn’t take this too far.

“So,” Pellegrino said, turning to face his kids again. “You said you both wanted to learn _Italiano_?”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pellegrino visits Bonaventura Belladonna. Little does he know how much she actually knows.

After a bit of teaching, and some successfully spoken Italian, Pellegrino left at 1:40 in the morning. He might be a tad bit late, but oh well. It wasn’t like he was in a rush to get into this discussion. He left casually, all the while reassuring Calliope and Athan that they hadn’t a thing to worry about. Pellegrino could visibly see the look of doubt on their faces, but he left with a smile, being sure to take the letter with him, just in case they got curious. It was an issue that would blow over, he was sure. Maybe he wasn’t taking this serious enough, maybe he was underestimating the situation, but they did say they weren’t calling him to trial right away. If that were the case, then that meant their evidence wasn’t solid. Which also meant they couldn’t accuse him of anything. God, sometimes he really did wish he would just move into another area with a different elder. They were all equally stuck up, but they weren’t as power hungry as Bonaventura Belladonna was.  


The walk was nice. The cool air hitting him in the face was refreshing and calming. He shouldered his way through the people coming the other way, glancing up at the sky to see it half full. Much like it was the night he discovered Calliope and Athan all those years ago. He grimaced at it briefly before returning his eyes to the world around him, sighing loudly, his breath coming out in a cloud, he followed the well-known path, his eyes landing on the building in the distance. He still wondered how they managed to obtain a place like that, in the public, and have no one question what it was there for. Then again, he didn’t frequently question the influence elders had over the mundane public. But he had to be sure no one was looking when he got to the front of the old building, knocking on it, and waited for the door to open. He waited a few seconds, and when he got no response, he raised his hand to knock again, but rather, this time, it creaked open by itself. Drawing his hand away in surprise, he raised an eyebrow, now mildly uncomfortable as he swallowed harshly, but quickly brushed it off. There was nothing to worry about, he reminded himself, as he moved forward inside of the building, closing the door behind him. 

It was dark inside, he took note. He wondered if they really had to take on the stereotypical dreaded setting, but either way, he wasn’t surprised when a hand reached out and touched his shoulder, turning him around in an instant. With a smile, he chuckled lightly as he met Thanatos's eyes, who in return glared.

_ "Mia signora _ , what a pleasure it is to see you again.”

“I’m sure it is. Belladonna is waiting for you.”

“Oh, I know she is.”

Pushing past her, ignoring her offers for guidance, he walked down the hallway, hands behind his back, his cloak buttoned up in the front instead of hanging loosely off of his shoulders. He at least had enough decency to put on a nice white dress shirt underneath, along with black dress pants. It wasn’t a formal occasion, but at the same time, he felt as if he would be better off on Belladonna’s good side if he dressed up for it. He made it to the building with minutes to spare before he was considered late, so Thanatos really had nothing to say to him right now. Really, he didn’t want to hear from the child of the prestigious rich old hag woman anyway.  

Entering the dimly lit room, his eyes skimming the old-fashioned themed place, he searched for the woman, though he wished he had it in him to scowl when he found her standing by the open window, the breeze brushing through her long, black hair, falling down her back in a mess of curls. She must have heard him come in, but didn’t bother to greet him. Rolling his eyes, he sighed loudly.

“ _Ciao, mia signora. Si prega di fretta e parlare cos_ _ì_ _posso lasciare._ ”  
  
“ _Idiota. Hai dimenticato chi sono io?_ ”

Pellegrino winced. Right. He couldn’t get away with that here. At least she didn’t hear what he said earlier. Better his kids hear and not understand rather then she hear and get angry. She was already angry at him, and the last thing he needed was for her to find out what he says about her behind her back. That was any vampire in the area, really, including Akantha. None of them favored Belladonna, and very few were loyal to her ways. Honestly, he’s somewhat surprised that they all hadn’t gotten called out for this behavior, but he supposed up until now she really had no proof of disloyalty. But he hadn’t attacked her directly, which was put him off. To throw around the word treachery without hesitation. 

“Beyond just being an idiot,” she began, turning around to face him, “you also are a traitor.”

“Ah yes, yes...on that subject, may I ask what you think you know?”

She scowled at what he said, though his smirk never melted off of his face. Belladonna wasn’t someone to taunt, but really, it could be fun. Wasn’t like a simple smile could get him in trouble, nor a few harmless words. She began to walk toward him, but he wasn’t intimidated. That was, until she pulled out a silver knife from somewhere hidden behind her, and he froze, unsure of what to do. Since this was not an official execution or even a trial, he knew he would have no reason to fear, but the second she was in front of him, pointing the knife at his throat, the very tip of it digging into the skin slightly, he flinched, but didn’t bother moving. It all happened in such a quick blur that he didn’t bother moving, but he couldn’t show that he was scared. That would be granting her the satisfaction of knowing she could inflict fear in him, and that would be a dangerous mistake. Staying still, he waited for her to do something, say something, but her hand reached up to tangle in his auburn hair, pulling him down toward her face. 

“I have reasons to believe you’re cooperating with humans. You’re exposing our kind.”

“Am I?”  
  
“Three humans. Every so often, you pay them for their blood. They’re well aware of what you’re using them for.”

Pellegrino froze up even more, eyes widening softly. He had to wonder who (or what) brought him forth to attention because he knew for one it couldn’t have been Akantha. Akantha would never betray him like that. Again though, she hadn’t called him to trial officially, so he knew she had something up her sleeve. Narrowing his eyes down at her, his smirk finally fading, he did his best to resist the urge to flash his fangs at her. If he threatened her, that would be an immediate offense. Not to mention one they could execute him for on spot.

“What do you want, Belladonna?”  
  
“Your respect and open mind, Pellegrino.”

Pellegrino growled. “I know that’s not it. You know what it is.”  
  
Her expression slowly became amused at successfully irritating him. A victory for her and a sight to remember, he was sure of. She knew she had his full attention. “I suppose...there is always something you could do for me if you really don’t want this going public. I wouldn’t have to arrange a trial, and you wouldn’t have to sit and pray for your life as the days pass.”

He hated her for this reason exactly. He had no idea how Thanatos could be eternally grateful to someone like her. It was a bit pointless to think she would just tiptoe around the bush instead of telling him what she wanted out of him. If she wanted money then fine. He could give her money. He could give her anything she wanted that way.  

“Ever heard of the South City?”

She made sure his eyes were making contact with hers. He frowned, though couldn’t help but feel confused. That city was old enough to be wiped off a map completely. What did she need with it?  
  
“If you refer to the abandoned city in the south, then yes.”

She nodded, and finally, she released his hair and pulled the knife away, but before applying a threatening pressure to both. Slipping the knife away back somewhere in her dress, she turned her attention back to the window, sighing loudly, as if she carried some heavy burden on her shoulders. Pellegrino didn’t know what she had to complain about. Everything was taken care of for her, she had power beyond belief over not just the area she governed, but also around the world. Pellegrino doubted that someone in her position needed anything more then that. 

Well, Pellegrino supposed he was a hypocrite, reminding himself of the earlier purchase of the building. Also about the money he had. He’d been working hard for years, but still, a larger portion of his money was the money he inherited from his deceased human family. It was more then he was expecting all those years ago, but with it, he’s managed to make a good life for himself. And for his children. 

“So?” Pellegrino pressed. “What do you want with it?”

“There’s a small faction of slayers that still reside there. I thought I’d driven them away a few months back with a group I sent to wipe them out as a warning, but they’ve returned.”

“And you want me to do what about that?”

She gave him a long side glance before heading back up to her window, continuing to stare out at the less then disinteresting moon. 

“Remove them, of course.”

“By myself?”

“Of course not. I’ll be willing to send a group with you.”

That was all she wanted? Sure, Pellegrino didn’t mind feasting on a group of humans. They could train their weaklings up all they wanted, but it was almost pathetic to think that a human could take down a vampire with a sharpened hunk of wood. Honestly, he somewhat wished they stopped spreading those kinds of rumors in books and movies, as it was farthest away from the truth as it could get. Sure, anything that gets stabbed with a stake would die, but the fact they believe that just because they hold it up to him and expect him to him shrink back in fear was hilarious. However, what did bother him was even though he could make a mockery of it all, vampires had died by the hand of a slayer. Not very many, but enough to say that it had happened before. He supposed that’s what made him nervous over everything else.

“Alright.” Pellegrino said. “I’ll take your deal.”

“Good to hear.”

“But,” Pellegrino continued before she could wave him off. “Who turned me in?”

“Everything you say will be held against you, you know.”

“Well aware, but I’m not admitting anything. I’m just curious.”

Belladonna fell silent, long enough for Pellegrino to wonder if she was ever going to respond to him. But when she turned to face him again, the look in her eyes dark, he felt himself freeze up.

“I know everything, Pellegrino. There’s nothing you can hide from me. Like that bullshit story you tried to give out to everyone about finding your kids and turning them.”

She smiled.

“But what do you know? You remember nothing from that night. You’re constantly lying to them, to the point where you’ve even convinced yourself everything you’re saying is true.”  
  
His eyes widened briefly, but then clenched his fist. He pointed a stern finger at her as her smile turned cruel.

“What do _you_ know? Who are you to say that I’m lying? Don't you dare bring my children into this.”

“Who are you to say that you’re telling the truth?”

He was seething, but instead of lashing out at her, much like she wanted him to, he put his hand down, letting his shoulders sink as he took a deep breath, turning his back on her as she did to him. She had no idea what she was talking about. She didn’t see or know anything. She just liked to think she knew things. 

“I’ll send the necessary information. It could be soon, it could be a year later.” She called out to him as he began to walk away.

“Alright.”

“You should thank me for your prolonged life, Pellegrino.”

Pellegrino grimaced. He could hear the smugness in her tone. She didn’t really do anything, but by the tone of her voice, she was proud of herself. He had to wonder what she benefited from all of this. With a sigh, he shook his head, walking down the long hallway, past Thanatos who was waiting by the door, and he stepped back out into the open with a new-found anger boiling inside of him. Barely fifteen minutes had passed. Belladonna really must not have wanted him there for long and he supposed that’s the only thing he was thankful for in that moment. 

How dare she talk to him the way she did? Elder or not, he didn’t care. She shouldn’t speak so matter-of-fact on issues that didn’t concerned her. She didn’t need to be sticking her head in places like that. She just needed to go back to pretending she was still a figure to respect in this area. He wasn’t entirely sure if he should discuss this with Akantha, but either way, as he walked down the street, the anger fueled his stomach, hearing it growl.

Right. He hasn’t fed in a while. He stopped, considering reaching for his cellphone, but what just happened caused him to think otherwise. If she really had evidence that he was feeding and paying humans, he needed to advert anymore interaction with them. They would likely be angry, but Pellegrino didn’t want to put himself at risk. Considering this, his eyes scanned the street, though it didn’t take long for his eyes to land on a young, pretty woman, seemingly in a hurry, walking across the street toward the other side, tucking away something in her purse before turning her attention to the road in front of her. Licking his lips, sighing, he decided she would have to do for now.

Following not too close, but enough to not lose sight of her, he felt something stir inside of him. The urge to hunt. The urge to let the monstrous side of him come out, but reminded of that night all those years ago, swallowing harshly, and forced it back down. He wondered whether or not if he should kill, but he supposed he’ll gauge how much mercy he has in him tonight when he starts to feed. He doesn’t want to set a bad example for his kids, but at the same time, all vampires had that instinct to kill. Even Calliope and Athan had it in them, but, Pellegrino made sure teach them mercy. To bite, get your fill, and let the human be. 

The woman, however, quickly took note of the person following her. He tried his best to blend in with the crowd, but with the way she was occasionally turning around to check behind her back, he knew he’s been suspected. So he drifted more and more away from her, until she looked like she was feeling more secure, then he picked up the pace again, smiling to himself when she turned into a rather discreet area, behind a building. Being sure to cut right into the area after her, when he was sure no one could see them, he grabbed her by the wrist, spun her around, and slammed her into the nearest wall of a dirty, old building. 

She gasped loudly, a shimmer of fear in her eyes as he flashed her a fanged grin. Confused, and quickly getting the idea of the kind of danger she was in, she moved to push him off of her, but her struggling went ignored by him as his fangs sunk into her neck. Any sort of push, hit, or shove against him was blatantly ignored, and maybe it even amused him a bit, holding her close with one, strong arm, while the other tangled in her hair, pulling her head aside. The adrenaline of the panic was setting in, and the rush of worry sweetened the taste of the blood flowing into his mouth. He counted the beats of her heart in his head, not missing when it began to slow down to a dangerous extent. He knew he did have it in him to kill tonight, could do it out of the anger that was still sitting in his chest, and all he had to do was think of Belladonna’s arrogant smile to bite down harder, growl aggressively, being more greedy then necessary when she began to cry out desperately.

“Please don’t kill me! I have kids! Please, let me go home to my kids!”

And he stopped. He stood there, very still, before pulling his head back and let her now weak body drop to the ground. He wiped the blood off of his mouth with the back of his hand, staring down at the woman with wide eyes before sighing. He supposed, really, that was a good reason for her to live. He would want to live for his kids too, so he won’t take that away from her. He watched as she tried to scramble to stand, but from the blood loss, she couldn’t. With a sigh, Pellegrino watched as she stopped, curled up on the ground, and laid there. She was still alive, breathing, panicking, but instead of bothering her further, he turned on his foot sharply and began to walk away. She began to ramble on about how she was going to report him, but with a quick, long glare, enough to silently warn her that he would finish the job if she wasn’t careful, she stopped.

Turning back around, he continued to walk away from her, feeling calmer then before. He still had to go home and tell his kids that he would be leaving soon. He didn’t entirely want to confess because of the treason, as he wanted to set up a good role model for them, but he couldn’t lie to them forever. They knew about the humans, and knew it was wrong of him in the eyes of the law of the vampires to pay for their blood, but they agreed with his methods. They had to know the truth at some point, even if for now it wasn’t the entire truth. 

It settled in his stomach like a heavy weight how much he’s actually lied to them about himself, starting with the night he found them in his living room. But the realization hit him roughly when he acknowledged the fact he didn’t have it in him now to tell the truth. One day, they would learn how they came to be his kids, and that would be the knowledge of the fact he had no idea how it happened either. He wasn’t sure how they could react to it, but he would bet they would distance themselves from him. A huge divide that he didn’t want them to have. Although, if he were to say the truth himself, maybe they wouldn’t be so mistrusting of him afterward.

Coming to his front door, he opened it, seeing them still in the living room, with Calliope laying on her side on the couch, fast asleep, and Athan’s eyes trained on the TV, only looking up when he walked past him. 

“We fed,” Athan called out to him with a soft voice.

“Did you let them live?”

“Of course.”

“Good, good. Good to hear.”

Pellegrino, with the little space he had left on the couch with Calliope’s body in the way, he .let out a loud sigh, looking up at the TV with disinterest. It was some weird show that Calliope frequently liked to watch. He never actually had a TV before he had these two, but Calliope mentioned not being able to sleep without having some sort of comforting noise in the house. So he bought the TV, put it in the living room, and everything was fine. She seemed a bit guilty afterward, but he reminded her he’d do anything for her. He felt as if that was a grand bonding moment for the two of them, honestly. 

“Everything okay?” Athan asked.

Pellegrino sighed, rubbing at his forehead.

“... _Il mio dolce ragazzo_ , I wish I could say it was.”

Athan pushed himself up to be sitting more upward, more properly. He looked at Pellegrino with concern, but Pellegrino just offered a reassuring look. It didn’t faze the worry in his expression. 

“What happened? What did she say?”

“It’s just about the humans I feed on.”

“The ones you pay?”

“Yes. Seems she found out. And is currently holding it over my head.”

“...Really?”

A tired, soft voice said, Pellegrino’s eyes falling on Calliope’s, who’s were now open, sitting up herself, allowing Pellegrino more room.

“As a treasonous act. If not fixed soon, I could be executed.”

They both collectively gasped, but Pellegrino held up his hand.

“But she was willing to make a deal with me. About the city in the South. The abandoned one. She wants me, and a group, to go there and clear out a remaining slayer problem they thought they rid themselves of. As for what she wants the city for, I could care less. I will not, in any manner, let her put me at risk. If she puts me at risk, that’s putting you two at risk. That, I will not allow.”

They both glanced at one another, nervously, but he reached out and patted Calliope’s hand, and smiled at Athan.

“You don’t have to worry about me. I plan to call off all communication with the humans I feed on, and make the deal with her. That way there’s no problem. Alright? Everything is fine.”

It looked as if neither of them believed him, but they both took the reassurance like it was mercy on the truth.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pellegrino's father visits.

Weeks had passed, and there was no contact from Belladonna. Pellegrino supposed he was sick of waiting, but couldn’t help but wonder if she was doing it out of spite or doing it because there were arrangements to be made. She did give a rather odd indication to when it may be, but otherwise, there wasn’t any denying the anxiety that was beginning to build up inside of him every night he woke up to no mail. He’d already deleted the contacts of the humans off of his phone, any traces of texting with them, told them he couldn’t talk to them anymore, and before they tried to argue with him, he apologized insisted his life and the lives of his kids were currently being threatened by a higher being. He told them they must not say his name, and must forget everything about him if they wished to keep living. There was a good chance Belladonna might go after them directly, but she said she would leave them be as long as he agreed to the takeover of the South City. He assumed this was about her power struggle with Thesselia, but taking over an abandoned city was a weird way to establish and cover more ground against her. But, nonetheless, it was land, and if it became hers, it would be her power in that area.

Which led to him to start thinking if maybe Thesselia had been planning to take over South City and Belladonna managed to find out, and was quick to act by compromising Pellegrino’s crimes with her needs. He was, no doubt, thankful that at least Belladonna was selfish enough to ignore what needed to be done against what she wanted done. She turned her attention away from the fact he had been committing crimes - treachery - and that was something he felt he should at least acknowledge. For all the awful things she does, this had to be one of the good ones. It was selfish thinking. He knew that, but that at least he did it in the name of his children. As long as he could stay alive to make sure his kids were happy, then he would feel justified in anything he did.

Tonight, however, while the two were still sleeping, he rose, wrote a note (in some simplistic Italian to test their skills), and left. Tonight was a Wednesday night, so of course, missing a routine thing would be rude of him. Typically on Wednesday’s, he and Akantha met up for a drink, a few rounds of cards, and some joking around. But he’s had to cancel in the past weeks because of the fear he might miss the letter filled to detail with the information he would need, but seeing as Belladonna was taking her sweet time, he called Akantha and said he was willing to go tonight if she didn’t have other plans. She sounded mildly surprised, but accepted, her tone happy that he was finally coming out of his house for something else other then feeding.

Which, had gotten so much harder. He never saw that woman he fed on again, but otherwise, people seemed more skeptical on the street at night as of late. Most of them traveled in groups, staying close to one another, and he’s not seen many lonesome night goers. It was irritating, especially when you were hungry. Akantha was having no issue, but only because of her frivolous tendencies to feed no matter what the humans were doing.

Pushing open the door to the late night bar, stepping aside, he glanced around the somewhat less than full bar and found Akantha sitting at the back of the bar, drink in hand, waving at him in a manner that could only be described as excited. With a small smile, almost forgetting the recent trouble, he made his way over to her, sliding into the seat in front of her smoothly. She slid a cup of something golden over to him, and with a wide smile, he winked at her.

“Oh, the good stuff. You paid?”

“Of course. Sounded like Belladonna was giving you some bullshit lately, so I decided it wouldn’t kill me to buy you drinks tonight.”

Akantha didn’t need to, but he didn’t look a gift horse in the mouth and lifted it to his mouth, taking a sip. The stuff was strong, but not strong enough to make him retch. Honestly, it was kind of hard in general to get Pellegrino drunk. It was almost like alcohol had no effect on him, but three more glasses of this exactly and he’d be feeling kind of weird. But, he hated getting drunk nowadays. It was a bad example for his kids, and he certainly didn’t want to say something he’d regret while drunk.

“About Belladonna giving you shit,” Akantha began, her blonde curls spilling over her shoulders as she leaned in closer over the table, as if they were about to share a deadly secret. “What the hell was she going on about?”

“I already told you. She figured out about the humans, and that’s it. I cut off all contact with them, so either way, they don’t have proof of me doing anything.”

“You don’t normally get that pissed off over nothing. If that was it, you’d be fine right now.” She gave a concerned look. It was harmless, but Pellegrino knew her eyes might as well be the ones that could dig deep into the soul. It wasn’t like he even had to say anything for her to figure out something happened. She waited for him to say something, to give an explanation, but when he lifted the drink to down half of it, the look deepened.

“Are you sure that was all that happened? Or are you not telling me something?”

“I don’t have to tell you everything that happens, Akantha.”

“Maybe not. But I haven’t seen you this down in a long time. What’s wrong?”

He hadn’t told her anything about the South City yet. He wanted to, but seeing as there was much he could say about it by now, he doubted it was worth bringing it up. Belladonna was surely making some arrangements to where it wouldn’t fall in Pellegrino’s behavior, but then again, she was seemingly desperate for that South City. He supposed he never let the thought of why she wanted it wander far from his mind. She either wanted it for either a power hungry stance among the elders closer to her, or, she was doing it as a fight back against Thesselia. He let his shoulders drop, putting the drink back onto the table with a loud clink after swishing it around a few times, watching the amber colored liquid swirl with the ice cubes. When he raised his eyes to meet hers again, he met a gaze of disapproval.

“Listen, rich boy. I know it’s gotta shatter your reality that a quick hundred or two won’t let you escape this situation, but at the same time, it gives you no right to hide things from me.”

He felt somewhat offended by her words. Did she really think he believed money fixed everything? Because it didn’t. He’s known that. Just because every problem he encountered, save for that one special incident, was easily fixed with money didn’t mean that money was his entire reality was dependant on that. He scowled at her as she raised an eyebrow, confused, before she let out a loud sigh, picking up her own drink and taking a sip.

“What am I gonna do with you…” She mumbled. Pellegrino shook his head.

“I’m not your responsibility.”

“My friends are my responsibility, actually. I don’t know how many you personally have to speak for, but when things like this happen, and when it’s this serious, it becomes my responsibility to take care of you.”

“No one asked you to.”

She shrugged her shoulders, taking the aggression on the chin.

“Of course not. That’s just an individual thing. Sorry about it, but, unfortunately, I did take a step forward in it all. I knew you wouldn’t really say much tonight, and you’ve been pretty down lately, so…”

Pellegrino straightened his shoulders at that.

“What did you do?” He demanded, his gaze accusatory. She offered a sly smirk.

“Well, you’ll figure out if you just turn around.”

And that’s when two strong arms wrapped around his neck from behind. The hold for a second or so was threatening, but seconds later, before he flashed his fangs, he recognized the warm, familiar hug. He’s had many of these when he was a fledgling, and not to mention during those days he rejected them rather then accepted them. It was contact he didn’t realize he was longing for. Something loving, and something that generally cared about him. When one of the hands slipped up to ruffle his fluffy, auburn hair, he laughed gently, turning around in the seat finally to greet his creator with a wide smile.

“Blaine!”

“Pellegrino, my son!”

He was pulled into a proper hug, and he soaked in the affection happily. Blaine, his vampiric father and creator, was always good to see, seeing as after Pellegrino was confirmed by Blaine himself that he had learned the ways of the vampire, he left back to Paris. He originally came to Italy for business with Pellegrino’s human father, but decided for a reason unknown that he wanted Pellegrino as his son. As such, he told Pellegrino what was to happen, laid out the offer, and let him mull over it for a week. Pellegrino really did think about going against it, but in the end decided that a mundane, mortal life wasn’t for him. He did in fact want that. So he accepted the offer. The process of being turned was painful, and even now he felt guilty about putting Calliope and Athan through it. Blaine doesn’t truly know what happened, but it doesn’t matter to him, because he’s a grandfather and that excited him. He didn’t question it when Pellegrino told him about Calliope and Athan. He just started to shout happily about how Pellegrino’s now truly a fully responsible vampire. Pellegrino has laughed with him at the time, just as happy as by then he’d begun to bond with Calliope and Athan. Minus the fact he felt awful for not telling the truth right away.

Blaine gripped Pellegrino’s shoulders tightly and reassuringly in his grasp, a warm smile on his face.

“My boy, Akantha has told me there is trouble about. What has happened?”

His eyes darted over to her, but she pretended to be busy with her drink, lifting it to her lips to take one, long sip. He narrowed his eyes at her for a brief moment before stepping away from his grasp, gesturing for him to take a seat with them.

Once seated, Pellegrino filled his father in on the details. But just about the human feeding. He spoke nothing of the South City, but Akantha’s eyes were filled with deviousness. It was only a few minutes after he finished telling his father the details that Akantha set her drink down with a loud clink on the table, drawing their attention to her. She gave Pellegrino an aghast glance before looking his father in the eyes.

“Aren’t you going to tell him the rest, Pellegrino?”

And he never gave Akantha as much credit as she really deserved. She was a fair woman, no doubt, but looks didn’t convey even the beginning of how clever she was. Bringing his father here, letting him explain what he wanted to, then insisting he tell the rest to him. The rest that she had no idea about. His father looked back to him with interest, expectating a continuation, but Pellegrino glared at her, angrily, curling his fingers into fists before looking back at his father, who was now confused.

“...South City.” He finally said with a low tone. His father shifted in his seat slightly.

“South City, eh? What about it?”

“...She wants me and a group to go there and rid the area of a slayer problem. I don’t know why she wants South City, the abandoned city, but whatever it takes to be sure I can stay alive…”

“Ah, _ne sois pas si dur avec toi-même_ , my son. I completely understand.”

Pellegrino raised an eyebrow at him, curious, trying to recall the minimum of French that Blaine had taught to him all those years ago, but could only make out a few things. Picking up his drink, finishing it off, Akantha raised her hand to wave the bartender over, but Pellegrino shook his head, silently denying the offer of another drink. She should have known by now that he isn’t out to get drunk at all, but sometimes she tried to convince him to get another drink. And sadly, sometimes she won. But not anymore. She would relentlessly tease him about being such a good father, but he waved her off. Besides, she didn’t have kids to speak of herself. Maybe if she got some, she’d learn a thing or two about responsibility. AKA, not snatching people away from their groups in the open and feeding on them. And would especially learn about mercy. Maybe, anyway. He wasn’t one to tell others how to live their lives. He just wished Akantha would be more careful from now on. Who knows what might happen to her if she were to seriously get caught one day? That’s what scared Pellegrino the most. The idea of yet another group of hateful humans catching onto them. Pellegrino supposed that was the one true downside of being a vampire, and that was the immense amount of hatred humans built up for his kind whenever they found out. Some try to spread the word, but soon enough, everything about those humans disappear. Their names, and their everything. He can only assume that they had been cast out by everything and everyone they knew.

But then there were the slayers. A group of humans that decided to keep the discovery of vampires a secret, and to take them out quietly. He had to wonder if the South City was just one of their bases or their main base. He doubted it was a main base, but he won’t let the idea slip away. It was probable because of the fact that it was an abandoned city, so no one would find them there. A perfect place for a quiet operation. Honestly, some humans acted out so much in things like killing to the point where it made Pellegrino question whether or not a vampire was worse than a human.

He hoped to see the day where he got an answer to that.

“Pellegrino,” his father spoke. “Why don’t we go to your house? I want to see Calliope and Athan.”

“Oh? Uh...sure. Akantha, do you want me to pay you back for the - “

“Go on, skedaddle. You don’t have to pay me back for something like that.”

He paused, midway reaching for his wallet. He challenged her gaze with a stern one, but she just pretended to be casual, smiling over the rim of her empty glass pressed up against her lips.

“Alright then. Thank you, either way.”

“Sure thing.”

Pushing himself up and out of his seat, along with his father, Pellegrino turned to Akantha one last time. She was expecting it, watching him with curiosity and satisfaction that she learned what she wanted to know. Telling his father to go ahead and go out, that he’d meet him in a minute, he leaned across the table and pointed a stern finger at her as the smile on her lips never wavered.

“While I’m appreciative of you calling my father, please, do not ever force me to say what I don’t want to ever again.”

And then, her smile fell when she saw the hurt shining in Pellegrino’s eyes. Setting her cup down, she gave him an apologetic look.

“Uh...sorry then. Ever since you...called me that night, panicking, freaking out, I just get sorta worried when you don’t tell me things.”

He was going to reprimand her further, but when she looked away, a glimmer of worry in her eyes, he stopped himself. Considering the fact she went as far as to call his father in advance, long enough that he made the trip from Paris to here, it was enough to tell him she really had been worried. It was a lot to go through just to ensure that he wasn’t in any deeper trouble then he already was and maybe, just maybe, beyond not giving her cleverness enough credit, he didn’t give her credit as a friend.

“...Thanks, Akantha.” He finally said, leaning up and turning away from her. He didn’t need to turn around to know she was smiling again. Going outside once more to greet the cool night, his father waiting for him, he led him down the street, all the while wondering if Calliope and Athan were even awake right now. Sometimes they liked to sleep in, but he hoped not tonight, seeing as his father went through all the trouble of getting here. Calliope and Athan really did like Blaine, especially since Blaine was older then Calliope, Athan, and Pellegrino’s ages put together. He had a lot of stories, and a lot of loving as a good grandfather to do. They would be happy that he was here, he noted as he pulled out the key to his front door, unlocking it and stepping inside, his father following closely behind him.

He barely had time to lock the door before two certain young redheaded vampires ran up to Blaine, throwing their arms around him in tight hugs. Blaine was laughing heartily, pulling the two into an even tighter hug. Watching how happy the kids were, Pellegrino’s heart swelled with joy and love until his eyes landed on the pile of mail sitting on the coffee table. Walking over to it, curious, he flipped through it slowly, being sure to read each one. He was about to lower it all back onto the coffee table until he noticed he let one fall to the floor whenever he picked the mail up. Reaching down, his heart somewhat fluttering with anxiety, he flipped it over.

It was stamped with the seal of Belladonna.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pellegrino reads the letter. Blaine is exploring town. Calliope and Pellegrino have a father-daughter talk.

Pellegrino didn’t read the letter immediately. He merely shoved it in his pocket and turned his attention back to his family, not interested in hearing the ramblings of a power hungry woman just yet. At least, not while his father was here. He knew of the South City now, but the last thing he wanted to do, and the only bit of information that he kept from both Blaine and Akantha, was that execution was the other option he had. Likely, that was, actually. He didn’t know what the other option was because he wasn’t risky enough to find out about it. 

Claiming it all to be junk mail, he turned his attention back to his family, then gave him a smile. The best he could offer, especially when he knew his mind wouldn’t wander far from wondering what was inside of the letter. Of course he was desperate to know what it said, but right now, he had his father here, and he wanted to make the most of it. He offered his father a space in the house to sleep for the night, but he politely declined, claiming he’d already booked a hotel. He’d be here for the week, and would visit frequently, but in the meantime, he planned to explore the city a little more, and maybe go a little out. 

“Won’t be having any of Belladonna’s company though,” Blaine joked with warm, bright eyes and a hearty laugh. “Right, son?”

Somehow, Pellegrino found it humorous. “Heh, yes, of course.”  
  
He couldn’t understand how anyone stood Belladonna and her company. He supposed, in a way, he actually pitied Thanatos for having been turned by her. He knew she was sincere with her loyalty, but at the same time, he would never have the capability of getting why she would take on things like harsh treatment and nearly being just a servant to her. He wished Thanatos better than that, but he couldn’t speak in her place. Thanatos had no money. She was an orphan. She couldn’t do anything for herself, and was near dying when Belladonna found her. So to say she must hate her new life would be unfair. Pellegrino didn’t know what it was like to be in a situation without money. Money could, in a lot of ways, fix any issue he came across. He hoped he’d never have to learn what it was like to live like that, but at the same time, he didn’t feel bad for Thanatos and her past. She became stronger, has more confidence, and despite having the external youth forever, Pellegrino knew more then well not to press her buttons. Pissing Belladonna off would surely get him a trial and execution, but with Thanatos, there would no warning. 

Maybe Pellegrino admired Thanatos, after all. 

Blaine had left soon after, claiming he was going for a walk before returning to his hotel for a night’s rest. He made sure to give the three of them bear-crushing hugs before leaving. Seeing Blaine always put him in a better mood, and being around that positive, uplifting spirit of his, his faith was restored in his future. All he has to do is clear out that city, and he could return home, to his children, where he would then immediately make plans to put distance between him and Belladonna. He didn’t like the idea of leaving Athan and Calliope alone, but he planned to discuss with Blaine before he left to take care of the two while he was gone.   
  
He didn’t really get a chance, as his stay tonight wasn’t all that long, but he’ll do it later in the week. He stretched out his arms, having long laid himself out on his bed, comforted by the soft blankets, and pushed himself upright. He moved off of the bed and out onto the balcony, the somewhat cool but humid air hitting his skin as soon as he slipped outside. His eyes cast their gaze down to the people below, who were bustling as usual, though never as bad as during the day time. He supposed he was jealous of humans, as it’s possible to go through the same kind of danger he could be experiencing soon, but at least they get to die off in about 80 years and not have a worry afterward.

With a sigh, he looked down to the letter in his pocket before pulling it out with a somewhat angry expression. He had to read it eventually, sooner or later, but right now, after his father visited, not so much. But he knew he should read it as soon as possible. 

_ “Pellegrino, _

_ Bonaventura Belladonna thanks you for your cooperation. She sincerely wishes your children the best while you're gone away. You are set to leave in approximately in two weeks. You will be sent with a team contributed from other elders. Alfonse Tomkolan will be brought forth by elder Eradoth Mordecai, Evangeline Maribond by elder Anatola Pamagath, and Malantha Fawnlez by elder Magpie Marianna. You are to meet your team in approximately a week to greet one another and create ideals to solve the slayer issues. I wish you the best of luck. _

_\- Thanatos.”_

_I wish you the best of luck._ Pellegrino took note of that especially. Not _we wish you the best of luck,_ but _I wish you the best of luck_. If that didn’t take a stance on giving Pellegrino any sort of idea about how Belladonna felt about sending him out on the mission, then he didn’t know what did. 

He glanced over the given names, tried to see if he recalled any faces that matched them, but none came to mind. Save for the Alfonse boy. 

He’s heard about that boy at least a few times, but never had met him in person. He’s met his creator, however (he just can’t recall that odd name).  According to his creator, Alfonse was rescued from “strange circumstances” when he was turned to be a vampire. When Pellegrino pressed on what that meant, his creator had insisted that no mind could handle what he had to go through to get to Alfonse. His creator held Alfonse close to him, as if he were Alfonse’s mortal father instead of bound to him like a creator would be, and if Pellegrino heard correctly, he still does that. Alfonse was turned at a rather young age, so having to keep an external youth probably made it easy for people to coddle him like a child. He wondered how he even got involved in this. Or if the people he was working with were under the same circumstances he was in: having committed a crime, on the edge of going to trial for it, at the risk of execution, but having it all excused if they go out and solve this issue for them. 

But why would Belladonna want other people involved if she wanted South City to herself? Especially other elders? That was the part that didn’t make any sense to Pellegrino. 

“Um…”

A tiny voice, so soft and fragile, broke through his thoughts. Turning around, somewhat surprised, he saw Calliope walking through the door out onto the balcony, approaching Pellegrino cautiously. She glanced down at the letter in his hand, and he knew he was too late to hide it. Calliope came to stand beside of him, her hands clasped in front of her.

“What did it say?” She asked.

“The letter?”

“Yeah. I was the one who got the mail...not Athan. I saw the letter, but, I didn’t want to be rude or anything and open it…”

Calliope was always considerate. He’d already told them what was to happen, had only planned on only telling them, but Akantha had to go and bring herself and Blaine into it. He knew she had good intention, but she really should have minded her own business. He couldn’t believe a girl that hasn’t even begun the true adulthood of a vampire has more maturity then a woman who’s lived long enough to see the rise and falls of kingdoms. 

“I’ll be leaving in about two weeks. But before then, I’ll be able to meet the other vampires I’m working with.”

Calliope looked down at all the people in the crowd with a somewhat interested look, her eyes following the path of a man dressed in a white business suit.

“Will you come back soon?” She asked.

“ _Il mio dolce ragazza,_ it is merely a bunch of slayers. Humans who foolishly think that it’s a rightful thing to kill people who do what they have to do to survive. Disgusting bunches like that can be taken down with a few flicks of my wrist.”

“...You’re going to kill them?”

The question was genuine, but she sounded taken back by his words. All it took was her soft, questioning tone of voice to make him realize what he had said to her. While he thought nothing of it while saying it, it only processed to him then that he was the one to teach Calliope and Athan mercy while feeding. He was the one who said killing was not justified when it came to their appetites, and that they should take what they need and then release the human. He was the one to say that killing wasn’t right, and he just told his daughter that he would kill a bunch of slayers - humans - with a few flicks of his wrist. 

While that sat with him coldly, he awkwardly cleared his throat.

“Well...I may have no choice. They have hurt us. Slayers have not killed many of our kind, but at the same time, they are undoubtedly dangerous if they can take down even one of us. We can’t allow that to continue to happen. South City is close to here, and I do not feel comfortable knowing that slayers are near my children…”

That was a good drive. If anything, he should think of how he’ll be removing the slayers away from Calliope and Athan. That was something he could feel glad about coming out of this, if there was much of anything to look forward to. Calliope raised a hand to yawn into, growing tired by the second, and when Pellegrino was about to suggest that maybe she head off to sleep, her voice cut his off, and the question she asked could only be described as out of the blue.

“Why pick us?”

“What do you mean?” 

She looked nervous all of the sudden.

“To be your...kids. To be your vampire children. To be our creator. Why did you choose us over anyone else?”

And Pellegrino fell silent. Even his thoughts faltered for an excuse, another story, something to make him look like he knew what he was doing, like he wasn’t struggling, but that was quickly proving to be hard. He really didn’t know what drove him to pick these two that night, or what even drove him to be a creator. Years later, and he still had no leads, no clues, no anything to what could have happened, but he soon gave up trying to find out to turn his full attention on the two of them. On raising them properly. On being good, strong, merciful vampires.

“You two were interesting.” He finally replied. “Vampires can see potential in humans. I saw true stars in both of you.”

Calliope’s eyes gleamed happily when he said that, a certain sense of confidence was restored in his racing heart. 

“Now then, off to bed with you. I’ll be sleeping soon myself.”

She smiled wide. “Okay…! I...uh…”

She hesitated. Pellegrino waited, curious, but she fumbled over her words for a few minutes.

“Love you, dad. Good night.”

Pellegrino’s heart thumped hard once, surprising him just after settling down the slightest bit.

“Love you too, _il mio dolce ragazza._ ”

She had turned on her heel, was going back inside, but she seemed to take in those words returned with gratitude. Pellegrino didn’t know why he found it so weird, because he knew to the very core of his heart and his soul, he loved his kids. He loved both of them with his very being. Maybe because it was the two of them and himself didn’t quite express that often enough. Calliope was just the bold one out of the two, first having the courage to call him “dad”, and then saying that she loved him. Pellegrino wasn’t too sure if he’d ever hear those words out of Athan, but he knew Athan cared for him as much as Calliope did. For some reason, to Pellegrino, it just seemed like it would take a whole lot more out of Athan to say that. But that bond between the three of them were there. It was a familiar bond that Pellegrino has missed having after all these years of being alive.

He really did have a true family.  


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pellegrino hears a rumor about South City.

“Will you do it?”

Pellegrino leaned forward in his seat, voice low and hushed. Blaine casually raised his teacup to his lips, taking a long sip of the bitter herbal tea he’d ordered. The tea place they chose to talk over was nice, lovely even, but one sip of the tea Pellegrino bought and he was reminded of something he learned a long time ago: he really hated hot tea. And iced tea. He’s never been a big tea fan, but he put up with it for now. He’d brought his father here to discuss the possibility of him taking care of Calliope and Athan while he’s away to the South City, but his father didn’t say anything right away for a long time. 

“Please, Blaine,” Pellegrino began, not bothering to try and hide the desperation in his voice. “I can’t leave them alone in a big city like this. Not with someone like Belladonna in charge.”

“Are you afraid something will happen?”

“More then that.” Pellegrino pressed, watching as Blaine set his cup down, then gave Pellegrino an expectant look. Blaine was always willing to compromise, to help him, but for some reason, he was taking a while to agree to such a simple task. There was no doubt that Blaine loved Athan and Calliope, so Pellegrino couldn’t help but wonder why he was being so hesitant on agreeing to this. It was just to help him out, especially since there would be no telling how long he would be gone.

“Being in this city with Belladonna makes me unsettled as well.” Blaine admitted. “Estella Fontanna hasn’t be so kind with her attitude towards Belladonna lately.”

“Huh? Why’s that?”

Blaine leaned back in his seat slightly. He didn’t miss how he tensed up, as if the subject matter unsettled him.

“I’m not sure. It’s something to do with her power struggle with Thesselia, I’m sure.”

“If it’s been such a heavy issue, why don’t the rest of the elders come together to resolve it?”

“Do you really believe all of them are wise and generous, my son?”

Blaine’s tone of voice took Pellegrino back somewhat. He suppressed a surprised look and failed to respond, unsure of what to say. Blaine taught him about the elders the very first few days he was reborn as a vampire. He introduced him to the elder that governed the area that Pellegrino lived in why he was still in Italy before they made the move to America. Blaine had explained that despite the elders governing different areas, overall, each continent had its whole government. And all the elders that governed their own areas made it up. Thesselia and Belladonna were on the same government, but the areas they ruled were separate. It was a bit complicated for Pellegrino to understand, but after a while, he just came to be concerned with the person who ruled the area he was in by itself, not the whole government. 

“I...I don’t doubt some of them are awful. Belladonna is proof of that.”

Blaine leaned forward, lowering his voice, his eyes darkening, getting somewhat close to Pellegrino’s own face. The way he spoke made it seem like he was about to share some sort of secret that was only to be known by them.

“Belladonna is up to something, son. I cannot say what I’ve done right yet, but I cannot wholesomely promise you’ll find slayers in the South City.”

Pellegrino’s eyes widened. “W-What do you mean?”

“Estella Fontanna was talking about it before I left. She’d mentioned to me that she heard Belladonna was sending a group out to South City, but that the last time she’d even heard of the city, it was marked as dangerous.”

“But...not because of slayers.”

“I asked if that were the case, but she said the slayer issue had been resolved a long time ago.”

Pellegrino glanced down at his cup, the tea having long stopped steaming.

“Belladonna said the issue came back.”

“Which might not be wrong. I thought the same, until…” 

Blaine trailed off on his words, clasping his hands in front of him, worry shining in his eyes. Pellegrino sipped his tea, trying not to cringe on the taste before setting it back down. It was just something to do to distract his hands, his thoughts, but now that Blaine had mentioned it, his mind felt centered around it. He wondered even if he never paid the humans if Belladonna would have sent him anyway to do the job. He wondered if it ever really had any connection to him paying the humans, or if she was just using that as a tactic to get him to do what she wanted. It seemed more like she was blackmailing him at this point instead of using it to bring him to justice. 

“Until?” Pellegrino finally suggested.

Blaine hesitated. He met Pellegrino’s eyes, the worry getting darker by the second.

“It’s just a rumor,” he began, “but it’s said that the South City is used to torture certain people. Vampires tied down, starved for weeks, humans put out just feet in front of them, but they can never reach them. Driven to insanity just by intense hunger, turned into bloodthirsty demons. Humans are brought there as well, slayers or not, brought to their knees to beg for mercy…”

Pellegrino felt a shiver go down his spine, his mouth suddenly dry, but he had no temptation to pick up the tea. He met Blaine’s eyes, trying to search if he was telling the truth, but his heart dropped when he realized he wasn’t exaggerating. Pellegrino looked down at the table abruptly, nervous, swallowing harshly in realization that it would all make sense if he went there, just to be captured and tortured. It would make perfect sense for Belladonna. 

“And the bad part is if I don’t go, she’ll kill me.”

“She said she’d kill you?”

“Put me on trial, more like. But if Belladonna is in charge of the trial...there’s no doubt I’ll die.”

Blaine looked angry. Pellegrino was just nervous. 

“What...What do I do, Blaine?”

Blaine didn’t look like he wanted to answer. He merely just leaned forward, reaching across the table to squeeze Pellegrino’s shoulder reassuringly, offering a very much forced smile. He clearly didn’t know what to do for him, but he did his best anyway.

“I think it’s best that you do what she says. If you get there, and...what I say is true, you should run.”

“Run? What about Calliope and Athan?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of them. If what’s said is true, then the first thing you must do immediately is contact me. I’ll keep Calliope and Athan out of her reach until then. But you don’t really think she’d go after them, do you?”

“I...I don’t know, to be honest. _Cazzo, questo è così incasinato_ …”

“No need to be cursing, Pellegrino,” Blaine said, his features suddenly becoming warm, yet, somehow, something dark loomed there.

“If what is rumored is true...and I catch word you’ve been sent there to be tortured, starved, and beaten…” Blaine smiled ominously. “I’ll be the one to tear that Belladonna out of her seat. I’ll gather an audience. I’ll kill her. First, she attempted to take my son away from me. Now she’s trying to kill him. That, above all else, above your own crimes, must be atoned for.”

Pellegrino had no words. He looked down at the tea cup, still full, cold, and disgusting. He sighed, glancing out the window, at the busy rush of people walking their way down the street. He’d woken up earlier then usual for this, as there wouldn’t be a place to visit as nice as the one during the night. He was exhausted, and the load of new information he just received only worried him more. He supposed he should question why he didn’t tell Pellegrino right away, but then again, Calliope and Athan were around, so was Akantha. There wasn’t any good time where they could be in privacy like this. 

Now all he had to do was wonder if Belladonna was true to her word or not. She was, after all, sending a team. If she really wanted to do something like torture Pellegrino, she wouldn’t do that. She’d make him go alone. She wouldn’t send other people. Even if this was loose logic, barely enough to deny the idea, it was enough for him. Just the idea of being restrained, and all source of food taken away from him was terrifying. It was hard enough to cope with the idea he’d have to leave Calliope and Athan behind, but at the same time, it was harder to cope with the idea that he might never see them again. This was a risk by itself, but risking being captured like that... risking being tortured like that…

One way or another, Pellegrino was going to be faced with a life or death situation.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pellegrino meets his team. Pellegrino is pretty certain they're all doomed. And what's this whole idea about getting 'crazed'?

He could not escape. The nightmares he had he could never escape. 

Pellegrino woke up the next few nights in a cold sweat, panting for breath, and desperate for fresh air. It wasn’t until Athan one night, who had been awake longer then usual, had heard him thrashing around that he finally asked what was bothering him so much lately. Pellegrino really didn’t know how to reply, calmly explaining to Athan that while he appreciated the concern, he really didn’t want to talk about it. It only seemed to worsen the worry, but Pellegrino didn’t know what else to offer for him. Even he could barely convince himself since the day Blaine told him about the rumor of South City being a place to be tortured, he’d hardly could convince himself he was fine.

Tonight, as he pushed the door behind him shut, he left to go meet his team. He hoped if anything that it was a team he could personally work well with. If not, then he could go ahead and label himself as screwed. He could always talk to them and ask them if they knew anything about the rumors as well. He didn’t know how much that could help him, especially if this was a set up against him, but it was the best he had to work with for now. 

He had no way out of this. He was stuck like this. He was either going to be killed if he denied the mission, and if he goes, he has the potential of never seeing his children again and being tortured to death. Even so, Pellegrino had to constantly remind his worrying conscience that it was a rumor, after all. But rumors had to have roots. Rumors had to have somewhere to begin with, and something such as a torture city didn’t really seem like something someone would derive from nothing. 

When he came to the front door of Belladonna’s building, he felt a shiver run down his spine as he knocked at the door. Nervously, he shoved his hands in his pockets, having at least dressed up for the occasion like he had before. He tried to seem as calm and natural as possible as Thanatos opened the door, a grimace on her face as she stepped aside and let him in, informing him that his partners were already inside, discussing things with Belladonna. He nodded, thanked her softly, in a manner where he tried to be charming, but Thanatos’s expression clearly gave off she was disgusted at that kind of advance. He sighed, shrugged his shoulders, then walked down the familiar path inside the building.

As he walked, he heard faint talking.

But as he went further, he had to pause for a brief second. 

No. That wasn't talking at all.

That was yelling.

Someone was screaming.

Even if he hated Belladonna, he moved a bit quicker, coming into the room where she held her business, hearing it get louder.

What he didn’t expect to see was a child, shorter then Belladonna herself, stamping his foot and pointing his finger in her face. Just the sight of him getting up and threatening with her both concerned him for the kid’s life and Belladonna’s life with how aggressive he was acting. The child’s hair was scruffy, pulled back into a loose ponytail, dressed formally as Pellegrino had. He had to put logic together, because the only person he could think of right away was that the child was Alfonse. 

“ _Mia signora,_ is everything alright?” Pellegrino asked, doing his best to fake concern in his voice. Belladonna’s eye shot toward him, slapping Alfonse’s finger out of her face and pointed one right back at him, telling him to settle down or else she would deal with him personally. Alfonse gritted his teeth, and Pellegrino’s heart thumped hard when he saw how big the child’s fangs were. They were unnaturally large, and he briefly wondered if he was one of those rare few who were turned with a significant difference from other vampires. It wasn’t that fangs had a particular size, but at the same time, Alfonse’s fangs were so long, he nicked his own lips while talking. He had to assume it was natural for him at this point, as the cuts healed seconds later. 

“Pellegrino. It’s nice of you to join us. Everything is alright. It just seems like Alfonse here is upset with me for making him wait for your presence.”

“That’s him?” Alfonse suddenly spat, aggressive in his words as his eyes, wide and crazy, looked at Pellegrino. He stood as still as possible, almost feeling like if he moved, Alfonse would be on him in a second. He had the strangest feeling that was how humans felt when vampires fed on them.

“You made me wait? For what reason? Do you hate me?”

The child angrily walked up to him, pushing his finger into Pellegrino’s chest painfully. Pellegrino backed away, somewhat afraid, unsure of what to say, but instead of talking down to the child like Belladonna had, he merely offered a smile, putting his hands up, all the while laughing awkwardly to relieve the tension in the room.

“N-No, my friend, I don’t hate you at all. I apologize if I was late...”

He didn’t feel like he was late, but apparently to Alfonse, he was so late it gave him the right to be angry. 

“Did you just call me your friend? Never do it again. That kind of talk makes me nauseous.”

“...Noted.” Pellegrino said, glancing to Belladonna helplessly, who was currently conversing with two girls. One had shorter, perfectly curl dark brown hair with a pink ribbon tied cutely in the back while the other had her black hair pulled back into a strict bun. Of course Belladonna was going to leave him helpless while Alfonse threatened him like this. Why wouldn’t she, after all? 

“I’m...Pellegrino.” He said, unsure of how to greet the young boy. It was odd to think that Alfonse was likely almost as old as him, and if he were younger, he was younger only by a few years. They were all vampires here, but the idea boggled his mind every time he looked at someone like Thanatos. They would be forever young, stuck with the faces of children, but at the same time, seeing Alfonse bear his teeth at Pellegrino, he was reminded why he should ignore age appearance and worry more whether or not if they were good or bad. 

“Pellegrino?” Alfonse said the name, unfamiliar on his tongue. Pellegrino wasn’t prepared for when he reached out and took hold of Pellegrino’s hand. At first, he thought he was going to shake it, but instead, he just held it like a child would. He wondered if he still had the mindset of a child, not doubting that was how his creator treated him. He waited to see if Alfonse would do anything else, but all Alfonse did was pull Pellegrino closer to him, almost nuzzling into his side. The abrupt mood switch was almost unsettling, but nevertheless he just clear his throat, calmly walking forth, Alfonse walking with him silently.

“Pellegrino,” Belladonna began, stepping aside to allow his eyes to full greet the two women. “This is Evangeline,” she gestured to the dark skinned woman with her hair in a bun, “and that’s Malantha.” The short brown haired girl waved happily. Her mood was almost too cheery for the creepy and ridiculous way Alfonse was acting moments before.

“And I see you’ve met Alfonse.”

“Quite…” He mumbled, narrowing his eyes at her. She merely smiled back.

“Why not get to know one another? Please, tell me a plan you have before you leave.”

And she walked away, out of the room, leaving the team to talk to one another.

“Oh, wonderful!” Malantha had exclaimed, clasping her hands pleasantly in front of one another. “What an honor it is to meet all of you!”

“Keep your voice down, you wretch,” Alfonse hissed, baring his teeth at her now. She seemed to take no threat from it, but just as Pellegrino moved to pull away, Alfonse pulled him back, right to his side. He wasn’t entirely sure why he was doing it, but Pellegrino got the idea he better let him do it, or else it wasn’t going to end up good for any of them. He cleared his throat awkwardly, and then bowed his head to both of the women.

“It is lovely to meet you, my ladies. I apologize if I was late. I...didn’t feel like I was.”

“You weren’t.” Evangeline cut in, her low voice abrasive. “I cannot fathom why that blasted Eradoth Mordecai sent someone like this little shit to be apart of our group.”

“You hate me?” Alfonse spoke up, eyes shimmering. Pellegrino felt the temptation to reach over and comfort the child, but at the same time acknowledged that this child could tear him to bloody pieces if he did something he didn’t like. Alfonse pulled Pellegrino against him tighter, somewhat honored that the kid was suddenly affectionate but at the same time worried that he really would do something to upset him.

“Don’t pull that shit with me.” Evangeline spat. “Your tantrums aren’t going to work here. This is a serious mission and a serious threat to the vampire community now that the slayers have begun to make the South City a base for themselves once more. We need a strategy.”

“I was thinking perhaps we could split up while we’re there? If we split up, we can cover more ground. Not to mention find the slayers all at once.” Malantha suggested, but Evangeline shot her a dirty look.

“If it’s another base for them, the city will be crawling with slayers. We can’t just barge in there and split up. That’s asking to be killed.”

“Go on your merry way then,” Alfonse said happily. “I think we should send you off by yourself if that’s what you think would happen…”

Evangeline’s eyes went wide, a vein popping out on her forehead. She growled under her breath, muttering some curses under her breath before she clenched her fists tightly, doing her best to not jump on the kid and choke him where he stood. The reaction he managed out of her seemed to give him satisfaction, as the gentle smile on his lips never left.

Pellegrino didn’t even need to think about it. He’s pretty sure that they’re all going to die if the cooperation was like this. You had Malantha, who he’s entirely sure is the sweetest woman he’s ever met. You had Evangeline, whose stern behavior came through in her expression and tough posture. And then Alfonse, a child who went from yelling at him to cuddling his arm. They were, undoubtedly, a horrible team. Pellegrino doesn’t know if Belladonna was the one who set the team up personally, but if she did, she really set him up for disaster.

“ Abbi pietà di me…”

“What?” Alfonse said, snapping his head up at him. If Pellegrino didn’t know better, in the manner he did that, he’d believe he’s in a horror movie.

“...Apologies. I’m Italian. Sometimes I slip into it.”

“Why’s that?” Malantha asked, genuine curiosity in her voice.

“It’s easier to express frustration.” 

It wasn’t a lie, for once.

“Once we get to the base, we should spend a few days and nights making a full mental map of the place. If we have the layout in our heads, not to mention also make a map of their schedule, this will be easier. I suggest we go straight for the leader in control there. If we tear them down, they’ll have to disband for a while. That’d give us enough time to completely destroy what’s left of the city, so they’d have nothing waiting for them if they try to come back.”

Evangeline must have thought all of this out beforehand. She knew what needed to happen, and for now, Pellegrino needed to go with it to convince himself this was a simple removal of slayers mission. And destroying the city - that wouldn’t be such a bad idea if Belladonna wanted the city for herself, and, if the torture part wasn’t true. The least he could do to get some revenge on her for holding this over his head like this was to break something of hers. Of course, if he really wanted to cut deep, all he had to do was snap sweet little Thanatos’s neck, and then she’d really feel his wrath. But he’s not a killer, and, would never make someone as innocent as Thanatos suffer the punishment of a woman blinded by greed and power. 

“I say we go with that,” Pellegrino spoke up, trying to hold up a cheerful front.

“It’s a plan for now! Oh, golly gee, do I ever hope we don’t have to hurt too many people…” Malantha said, melodramatic in her tone of voice. Pellegrino was merciful, but to think like that really put him off. He’s also positive he’s going to lose a few teeth from cavities just from how sickeningly sweet Malantha was. She obviously had good intentions, but at the same time, she needed to be serious for this mission. They all knew they were going to have to snap their fangs into at least one person's neck and drain them dry while they’re there. They’re going to have to kill, much to at least some of the group’s dismay. He doesn’t doubt Alfonse and Evangeline are fine with it, and Pellegrino was too. Maybe the woman was just too kind for her own good. 

“Whatever doesn’t kill me.” Alfonse said, finally letting go of Pellegrino’s hand abruptly. He pulled it away from the child, shoving it in his pocket, as if afraid he were going to lose it again.

“Then we’re agreed. Start preparations to leave now. We travel lightly. Tie any loose ends you need to before we leave as well, because I don’t want to hear whining about business while we’re gone.”

And just like that, Evangeline turned sharply on her heel, her tall posture giving her an air of confidence as she walked out of the room. Malantha bowed her head to the both of them, claiming it was delightful to meet all of them before running after Evangeline. 

“...Hey.” Alfonse said, shaking Pellegrino’s heart with just his voice.

“Yes?”

“Have you heard about the rumors of South City?”

Pellegrino tensed up, and his eyes looked away briefly.

“Don’t stand there gawking like an idiot. Answer me.”

“I don’t believe I have. What are the rumors?”

And the way Alfonse grinned was wicked, as if the ideas of it gave him pleasure. “Oh, it’s said that South City is a place where...special people are brought to be...tested.”

“Tested? As in...how?”

“They say some vampires have abilities others don’t. They want to see their full potential, and they want a reason why. Tying them down, refusing them blood...torturing them until they have no choice to show what they’re capable of. Hehe! Isn’t that freaky?”

Pellegrino swallowed harshly. “You say it’s like...a testing facility? Like...a lab of sorts?”

“Oh, but those are rumors! But from what I’ve heard, that may just be it. Of course, we’re being sent there for slayers, not to be tested on! Even if I’ve heard that Malantha can heal people with her blood, and that Evangeline can move things with her mind…”

Alfonse paused. “Oh, and me? Well...apparently, the bigger the fangs you have, the scarier you are.”

“B-But this musn’t be true. I have no special capabilities like that.”

“Really? Are you sure?”

“Positive. I haven’t been able to do anything weird or unusual.”

“Hm-hm! Interesting. Then perhaps we’re saved from being starved to bones and dust. Oh well, there goes that fun idea. What joy it could have been…”

And Alfonse slowly turned around, walking toward the door, though paused to look over his shoulder.

“Or perhaps we could have fun sometime? If you’d let me kidnap you, I’ll starve you to the point where you’re on your knees begging me for food. Then, I’ll take those children of yours and shove them in a room with you when you’re absolutely starved to bones, not able to recognize them…” Alfonse laughed. “To see you feast on both of them until they’re dead. How sad you would be! You’d surely hate yourself, but too bad you wouldn’t remember…”

Pellegrino fell silent. He wasn't sure what the child wanted him to say in response to that. He didn't put it past him to do something like that to him either. It wasn’t until Alfonse was at the door until something he said clicked in his head, and he was calling after him.

“Wait! I wouldn’t...I wouldn’t remember? What do you mean by that?”

Alfonse chuckled ominously. The way the light casted over his face as he turned his head to look back at him gave Pellegrino chills.

“Haven’t you heard of the condition called being ‘crazed’? Some vampires do it because it’s an addictive sensation, but also unpredictable. It happens when they starve themselves to the point of it being dangerous, and then they hunt. And hunt. And hunt. And hunt…feeding themselves in such a porcine manner that it’s disgusting to look at the results after they’re back in their right mind. You might want to look into it.”

Alfonse paused.

“Or...maybe you can just ask one of your kids? Hehe…”

And then he left, leaving Pellegrino dumbfounded. Getting crazed? He’s never heard of such a term before. Not even Blaine had explained something like that to him. Then again, he never truly told Blaine the truth of how he came to have Athan and Calliope. He more so just told the same lie to him that he’d told them. He wondered how everyone else seemed to know what happened to him but him, and the fact they wouldn’t even give him the story is what hurt the most. Swallowing harshly, he watched as Belladonna walked back into the room, having neatly put her hair into a bun, some of the dark curls escaping.

“How did you enjoy your team?” Belladonna asked, and if he hadn’t known her for who she truly was, it would have sounded genuine.

“...Disaster.” He mumbled to himself, causing Belladonna to chuckle.

“Oh, they can’t be that awful.”

“I’m onto you,” Pellegrino began, glaring at her from across the room, not missing how her eyes widened in surprise.

“That city isn’t what you say it is, is it?”

“...What are you talking about?” She asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Tortue city? Sending vampires there, where they’re chained up and not fed for weeks at a time? To experiment on the...the special abilities and physical differences they have? What are you planning? Why are you sending us there?”

“What in blazes are you going on about, you rambling fool? Torture city? There are slayers threatening our community right now, and you’re telling me you believe those stupid rumors?”

“I don’t just believe it. I know it.”

“...You are as stupid as you are tall. What kind of son did Blaine even pick for himself?”

“One that you tried to snatch away.”

Belladonna’s expression fell, mildly insulted. “...Disgusting ingrate. I offered you a better life, a better eternity, and you threw it back in my face.”

“I had and still have loads of money, have two wonderful children, and a father that loves me. That’s all that matters.”

“Sure. And now all you have to have is the sun shining brightly every day to make your world perfect, don’t you?”

“I truly do prefer the night.”

Their eyes met from across the room, and Pellegrino set his jaw sternly. He wasn’t letting his guard down. Belladonna seemed genuinely stunned at the accusations, which in a way gave him some relief, but at the same time, he knew how easy it was to be a liar. They were one and the same, really, and perhaps he and Belladonna aren’t as different as he would like to think they are. Belladonna was merely in power, and Pellegrino was not.

“...Hmph. Pellegrino, you are excused.”

“Certainly. Have a wonderful night, mia signora.”

“Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”

He rolled his eyes, almost childishly stomping his way out of the room. 

Alfonse knew about the rumors. It seemed Malantha, Alfonse, and Evangeline possessed some sort of odd ability and physical diversity that deviated from the norm of vampires. But Pellegrino wasn’t special. He couldn’t do anything particularly wonderful. He could play a mean guitar, but otherwise, he couldn’t move things with his mind. He couldn’t heal people with his blood. His fangs were pretty normal sized.

He wasn’t special. He wasn’t. And under any other circumstance, learning he may possess an ability normally others can’t would seem amazing. But in this situation, if he could…

Then the reality of that city being a living hell for them was all the more real.

And what was getting crazed exactly? Alfonse had said it was when a vampire starved themselves to the point of them going ravenous, but he also said it was addicting. Pellegrino had no desire to do it again. In fact, he was terrified to do it again. But the way Alfonse described it, it fit that description of what happened to him that night perfectly.

Pellegrino took a deep breath the second he was back out the door, feeling the tension in his shoulders remain.

What in the hell is going on lately? And why won’t any of it make sense?


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pellegrino learns more about the previous elder of South City, and has one weird night when he learns Alfonse feeds off of vampires instead of humans.

“Ashlathae…”

Pellegrino mumbled the name softly as he looked over the much older map, surprised that Blaine provided one for him. He supposed there was much he didn't pay attention to when he first came to America all those years ago. The memories of having to use maps was distant in his mind, only due to the fact he could tap a couple of buttons on his smart phone and have directions to any location he desired.

Glancing back toward the man currently occupying the couch, Pellegrino took a deep breath as he pushed the map away from him, turning fully to face his father.

“Opipius Grimlost was the previous elder of South City.”

“Yes. And?” Blaine asked.

“It’s just...what happened to Opipius? Where did he go?”

Pellegrino believed he had heard of Opipius in the past, but never had a reason to find out more about the man until now. Blaine finally tore his eyes away from the flashing TV screen, glancing down at the ground briefly before shrugging his shoulders.

“I cannot say I know. Everything about South City is a giant rumor. Some say he’s the one who started slayer factions, gathering humans together, exposing vampires, then training them to kill them. Some say his own slayers turned against him and killed him. Or that he couldn’t bring himself to look at what he’d done and ran away for good. Some say he’s still there, lurking in the shadows of a broken city…”

Blaine suddenly paled. “Then, there’s the other...about him and his addiction to getting crazed… Which, I know is no rumor. That was a fact. But there was a rumor that spawned from it.”

Pellegrino listened more intently. “Getting crazed? He was addicted to that?”

“Ah, so you know of the condition. True, yes, some vampires do starve themselves to the point to feeding blindly like beasts. They experience a euphoric sensation after they wake up. That’s what causes the addiction.”

Pellegrino knew that feeling. It had been pleasant when he woke up, but just the idea of feeling it again made his skin crawl. He didn’t want to do it again. He was glad he, at least, didn’t find it addicting. He couldn't go that long without feeding ever again. The very idea made his stomach turn over.

“What was the rumor?” Pellegrino asked.

“It’s said he attacked the vampires in the local city one night while he was starving. While he didn’t exactly kill them, the vampires were injured enough to go find humans to feed off of and heal. It was quite a numerous and dangerous amount of vampires on the move for blood. Vampires drained the city of all the blood source it had to offer, so it was abandoned.”

Pellegrino raised an eyebrow. “He attacked vampires? Why?”

“You ask good questions. Questions I cannot give answers to. But keep in mind that this is just a mere rumor. I can't confirm or deny anything. Besides, vampires are extremely volatile when they’re starving themselves like that… There’s no telling what they may or may not do.”

Glancing back down at the map, he sighed softly. At some point, the name of the city had been forgotten, leaving it to just be South City. A name like _Ashlathae_ seemed almost impossible to forget. It was a lovely name, appealing to the eyes and ears, and by the looks of the city and some of the locations marked within the city, it had quite a few attractions. It must have been a popular city if it had all those landmarks and monuments. It was hard to believe that a city that had to be bustling with tourists was so easily swept away.

“It surely didn’t happen overnight, though.” Pellegrino commented to himself.

“Hm?”

“I mean, the fall of the city. I see all these tourist attractions marked on here, so it must have been a city constantly overflowing with tourists.”

“You’re right. But what does that matter?”

“How does a busy city like that just...go away so quickly?”

Blaine didn’t reply right away. Instead, he finally rose from his seat to come over to Pellegrino’s side. He glanced over the old map, seeing exactly what Pellegrino had been talking about, but then placed his hand on Pellegrino’s shoulder to squeeze it reassuringly. He’d been doing that throughout his stay, as if reassurance that he would be fine, but even if Pellegrino took comfort in it, he knew very well it still could all be a set up. Maybe he’d go there and there wouldn’t be some sort of prison/lab thing, and in reality it was a slayer problem. Or maybe he’d go there and there would be an ambush of assassins, taking Pellegrino and the others down. Who knows, maybe they’re the ones getting in the way of important matters. He’s thought of every scenario, but the one he found himself most afraid of was the idea of food being taken away from him, and forced to undergo being crazed again.

Calliope and Athan were the best thing to have ever happened to him so far, but he couldn’t bear the idea of how it happened. Hell, he still didn’t know how it happened. That was a giant mess, and all he could do was look at the bright side of it.

“I don’t…” Pellegrino began, slowly lowering his head into his palms. “I don’t know if I can do this, Blaine. Maybe I can just...just do the trial Belladonna threatened to set up - “

“No. Absolutely not. You know it’s her set up to kill you.”

“I know that. But I just...don’t know if I can cope with the idea of leaving Calliope and Athan behind. Sneaking them to come with me is way out of the question.”

“You don’t trust me to take care of them?” Blaine said, laughing, trying to bring levity into the atmosphere.

“It’s not that. It’s possible I will die while out there for this. And you know I love those kids to high heavens, Blaine.”

“How do you think I feel? I’m sending my son off to a possible murder set up, yet, I have to let him do it. I know what's wise to do, and for now, it’s listening to her. I’d rather have a _risk_ of losing you then sending you off to that trial for certain death if those are my only two options. Do what you have to if it means living happily.”

Pellegrino moved his head away from his hands and met his eyes, and Blaine’s shined with sincerity. He supposed he really hadn’t thought of that. He understood Blaine a little better now as a father, at least. And he acted like he wouldn’t be able to save himself if ever got into a life or death situation while out on that mission. With a loud groan, he crossed his arms, leaning back in the chair.

“...I digress. How did a big city fall so quickly?”

“Typically elders have higher power in the mortal power too.”

“Belladonna doesn’t though…”

At the mention of her name, Blaine's mood darkened. That happened almost every time. She would never be a good topic to bring up, it seemed.

“She seems to have only interest in only gaining power over those she’ll be able to rule over for a long time. Having mortals do her bidding wouldn’t be very satisfactory.”

“Because she can’t keep them…”

“A disturbing idea, but this _is_ Belladonna we’re talking about.”

Pellegrino for the first time that night cracked a smile. Blaine seemed to take pride in it. It wasn't a time to be joking around, but having that looming danger over his head disappear just for a moment was enough for him in this situation. 

“But, anyway. Elders have higher power in the mortal world occasionally. What does that matter?”  

“I do believe Opipius was a higher power in that city. As a big city official, the second he fell, so did the rest.”

“Wouldn’t they have had issued another person in his place?”

“Perhaps. I’m not sure why they never did. I wonder why…”

And everything made even less sense. Nothing was clicking into place, nothing matched one another. All of it, all he ever had to go off, were fucking rumors that gave him little to no idea what to expect. The more Pellegrino learned, the less he felt like he knew. The entire overview of it was that the elder in Ashlathae, now known as South City, was addicted to a dangerous act that eventually tore him apart. But at the same time he managed to take down the entire city with him. Despite the popularity of the city, it was quickly abandoned. And then slayers for a brief while used the abandoned city as a base, but was solved. Then it’s branched off into a lot of rumors, all of them more sickening as they went on.

“ _None_ of this makes sense. _Fucking_ hell to it all...” Pellegrino finally said, roughly pushing the map away from him.

“Don’t get frustrated.”

“I’m not - … Okay, I _am_ frustrated. But what else am I supposed to do, Blaine?”

“Listen to me, my son.”

Blaine spun the chair around, placing both hands on both shoulders. He leaned in closer to Pellegrino’s face, a serious expression on it. In distant memories, as faded as a memory could be, he briefly could recall his mortal father doing the same to him the day he left for America with Blaine. Even his expression was almost exactly the way it had been with his father. He quickly shoved the memory away though, as it wasn’t important. He didn’t need to remember pointless things like that. Especially back when he still partially fought with the idea of no longer being mortal.

“Do not lose courage. Go on that mission, hold your chin up high, and fight back at whatever comes. Don’t think of giving up. You know that I will know if you’re safe or not, even if I have to threaten that information out of Belladonna.”

Blaine had always been protective of Pellegrino, but it really shined brightly here. He nodded. He knew he could trust Blaine to back him up, so he didn’t have to fear anything. He would keep his children safe, and he would do what he could to ensure Pellegrino’s safely. He didn’t need to worry so much. He should just go, figure out what was really going on, and then solve it. If that meant running for his life, then, there would be no shame in that. He had two children to worry about and a father he couldn’t let down.

“Go rest, son. You look exhausted.”

“...Yeah, I kinda am. You’re taking Calliope and Athan out though, right?”

“Oh, yes. I wonder if they’re ready.”

At the idea of his grandchildren, Blaine let go of him and walked toward the direction of their rooms. Pellegrino let his shoulders sink as he rolled his head back, touching the chair softly with the back of his head. Seconds later, three pairs of footsteps came back into the room, and Blaine smiled softly at Pellegrino. More reassurance, but offered silently. There was nothing left to say about this mess anymore. Everything that had to be offered was laid out on the table, and it was up to Pellegrino to resolve it all.

“We’re leaving. I’ll have them back soon.” Blaine promised.

“Alright. _Attenzione, i miei figli._ ”

“Eh?” Calliope whined, raising her eyebrows. “I don’t get that...we’re not that good at Italian yet, dad!”

“He said something about being careful, I think?” Athan added.

Pellegrino couldn’t help but smile again. A wave of adoration overcame him. He really did love those kids.

“I did. Now, go out and have fun. Blaine, please be wary of your surroundings.”

“I will. Good night.” Blaine called out, his kids following him as he opened the front door and walked out. Pellegrino listened to the door shut softly, and he slowly leaned forward, looking at the map one more time. A sharp pain ran through his skull and he raised his hand to cup his forehead again. He’s had enough of this for tonight, and going to bed early sounded nice. Maybe just go down and take a nap. Or go out to his balcony for fresh air. Something, anything, to make him go under the false belief things were fine.

Walking to his room, he pushed opened the door to the balcony and let the cool air greet him. He walked up to the ledge and immediately leaned against it. Looking down below, he could catch Blaine and his kids walking in the distance, Calliope seemingly giggling at something Blaine had told her. It was nice to see that his kids got along with his father. The relationships between all of them were good, at least.

Pellegrino didn’t even know if he was good enough to even be considered a father at this point. It was hard to believe he’s gotten away with all the lies he’s told his kids so far. It was scary to think he loved them to bits but they were in belief of all of these lies he’s continuously feeding them about how they came to be with him. Neither of them remembered that night, and he himself wished he was good enough an actor to even put himself under the idea of what he’d been lying about. People who lied to themselves, and actually made themselves believe it, were people Pellegrino envied. He felt awful about it, but at the same time, if he told them now, he’d destroy the relationship he’d worked so hard to build with the two of them.

Somedays, he really did find himself disgusting.

The memory from earlier resurfaced once more, and Pellegrino shut his eyes, as if trying to shut the familiar face out. He would admit he loved his mortal family but at the same time had no time to think about them when they weren’t here anymore. It wasn’t something Pellegrino could change, either. He decided that when all of them died, he would have to force himself to forget them. Going on for eternity with memories of things that would just make him sad was unnecessary, and he had to live in the now.

But Pellegrino did wonder what would have happened to him if he declined Blaine’s offer to be turned. What his mortal life would have been like. What kind of job he’d have, if he’d ever marry, if he’d ever have kids - these were things he tended to think about often. It was in fact pointless thinking but at the same time he couldn’t help but wonder how easily mortals got by. At least for some of them, anyway. He can’t remember the last time he ever heard of a human being sent off to kill a bunch of vampire hunting slayers.

He’s had a long night. The wind brushed through his hair, and eventually he pushed himself away from the balcony ledge and made his way to the door. He was going to shower, put on comfier clothes, then go lay down for a bit -

But the breath was knocked right out of him.

In seconds, Pellegrino was on the floor of the balcony, something sharp piercing into his shoulder, right where his neck met it. He blinked, heart beginning to pick up its pace, confused, and it only took him seconds to register what had happened.

A vampire had come out of nowhere, and was currently biting the living hell out of his shoulder. The bite was as painful as he remembered Blaine’s being, yet somehow it was worse. It burned, it stung, and it felt like his flesh was tearing itself apart. His instincts kicked in, and he pushed against his assailant, growling low in his throat with the intent of it being a threat. His attempts to fight back went ignored, even if his assailant had a seemingly smaller body then his. He struggled, confused as to why a vampire of any people would lash out like this against him. The scent of the vampire was not familiar to him, nor did they look familiar from the angle he could see them at.

The vampire had a death grip on both of his hands though, which prevented him from doing much. He growled again, hoping that at least it would intimidate his attacker, but it wasn’t helping. They were taking blood from him, and by the look of it, they would kill him without mercy at this pace. The idea set in his head, and he felt his heart thump hard once, realizing the reality of that.

He would die if he didn’t find a way to fight back, but he felt himself slowly losing the energy to fight back. He was losing blood, and very quickly. This vampire was ravenous in their ways. They were hungry, and they weren’t about to give him mercy. Among understanding his father better tonight, he also better understood the humans he fed off of. The helplessness of laying there, losing blood quicker than you could comprehend, knowing you could die if the vampire wasn’t merciful...

With a deep breath, Pellegrino decided two could play at this game.

He threw his head back the best he could and dug his own fangs into the shoulder of his attacker, blood flooding his mouth immediately. The other vampire howled with pain, pulling away abruptly, Pellegrino’s blood dripping off of his fangs. The size of his fangs unsettled him, and the light washed over the face of his attacker finally, and his heart froze -

“Alfonse?”

The boy looked infuriated. “I was _feeding_ , you disgusting man.”

“On - me? There are hundreds of other people down there tonight.”

“I wasn’t done.”

Pellegrino stood up quickly just as soon as Alfonse made a step toward him, hands out in front of him, putting distance between him and the younger vampire. It explained why he didn’t recognize the scent, either, as he hadn’t been around Alfonse all that much. He didn’t really get a good look at him either from the way he had been buried in Pellegrino’s shoulder. With a deep breath, the wound on his shoulder throbbing painfully, he shook his head.

“You can’t just go around feeding on your own kind, Alfonse.”

“...Why do you think my creator doesn’t talk to anyone anymore?” Alfonse said with a big, fanged smile.

Realization dawned on Pellegrino, and his heart sank.

“He... _can’t_ talk anymore, can he?”

“I didn’t kill him. I'm not that cruel. I'm very grateful to him for saving me. But when I was first turned, I didn’t have a lot of strength. You could say...I was in a weird situation when I was human. So he let me feed off of him for a while. It’s stayed that way. He’s pretty ashamed of it too, even if he tells me he isn’t.” Alfonse casually licked away the blood still sitting on his lips.

“If he’s away, then I find other vampires to feed off of. I found you. You seem easy to bend to my will.”

Pellegrino lowered his shaky hands - _holy shit,_ he was _shaking_ in fear - and sighed.

“Y-You...can’t feed off of me. Sorry.”

“But I want to. Are you going to stop me? You do know if you kill me...Belladonna were surely put you on trial. And that’s what you want to avoid, yeah?”

He couldn’t do this right now. How did this kid even know where he lived? And he didn’t actually know if he could talk himself out of this one.   

“How many vampires have you manipulated in the past for something like this?”

“Oh, plenty! But that doesn’t matter. Unless you want me to tell Belladonna all about your little deal with the humans, I suggest you let down your guard. It has to be this way, yeah? You don’t want me to starve and die, do you?”

 _Haven’t you ever tried feeding from a normal source?_ Pellegrino almost wanted to ask, but the temptation slowly faded. He had little to no clue still what was going on. This was the last thing he needed to happen tonight, and the fact Alfonse was so persistent didn’t make it better. He glanced at the fangs the kid had, and swallowed harshly. He knew the wound in his shoulder would scar. Fangs like that were made to not only satisfy thirst, but to damage. Pellegrino didn’t know if it would be a good idea to threaten the kid off of his property, because he knew damn well that Alfonse would do as he promised if he didn’t get his way.

_Do what you have to if it means living happily._

For once, he wished he didn’t take Blaine’s advice to heart.

“...Make it quick, you little bastard.”

“Oh? I get to finish? Okay!”

And just like that, Alfonse perked back up. He was still shaking, still fearful, and the worse part was that Alfonse seemed to enjoy that Pellegrino was afraid of him. This kid had serious issues, but he really would like to know how he knew anything he was saying. Or how he even knew where he lived.

“What do I get out of this?” Pellegrino asked before Alfonse had the chance to dive back in to resume his disgusting meal.

“Do I have to give you something in return?” Alfonse asked.

“I would prefer if you did. I don’t enjoy being bitten, as I’m sure you didn’t enjoy me doing it to you.”

Alfonse’s expression dropped, suddenly not as amused as he had been before when he glanced at his own bite wound. Pellegrino had done some decent damage to the skin, having broken past the bunch of it, but didn't hit anything major. It was enough to get him off of him. But seconds later, his features lightened up. Pellegrino didn't enjoy the devious look on the child's face. 

“If you let me feed off of you the entire time we’re together, even on the mission, I’ll tell you _everything_ I know about South City.”

He paused.

“Or should I say Ashlathae?”

Their eyes met, and Pellegrino immediately looked the kid over, trying to see if there were any lies to be found. Scarily enough, Pellegrino would believe anything that came out of the mouth of that kid. He seemingly did know a lot about things he shouldn't, including Pellegrino's own personal life. It might be risky to let Alfonse feed off of him, as it was a law in this particular area that feeding on your own kind was prohibited, but he was desperate for information. And there were no lies in his features. With a sigh, he held up a trembling hand.

“You have a deal.” Pellegrino said, determination in his voice.

Alfonse gave him another devious smile, shaking his hand firmly.

“And what a wonderful deal it is.”

A hand tangled in his hair, yanking Pellegrino’s head aside again. The last thought Pellegrino had before Alfonse bit into his shoulder roughly again was:

_This has been a weird night._


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alfonse and Pellegrino talk about the past of South City. Pellegrino spends some quality time with Malantha afterwards. Calliope and Athan begin to worry about Pellegrino's impending departure.

“Why vampires?”

“Why must you stick your ungrateful nose into business you have no right to be interested in?”

Pellegrino had to let Alfonse into his house after that, but with a lack of blood, he could feel himself stumbling around just to reach the living room. His head felt light and dizzy, and his condition didn't better itself after he sat down. 

He would have to go out and feed again sometime tonight. Blood loss wasn’t enough to kill a vampire, but injuries did put a hindrance on a lot of what he did. He’d dropped himself off on the couch the second he saw it, but Alfonse took his sweet time investigating his home. It irritated him, as he carelessly picked up priceless trinkets before setting them back down, as if wanting to inspect that Pellegrino was as rich as some people say. It was getting ridiculous, and that question finally had come out of his mouth before he had a chance to stop it.

“You do know feeding on your own kind is illegal here, yes?”

“I know. But my creator will protect me if I’m found out.”

“He can’t coddle you forever. You may have the face and mentality of a child, but we both know you’re around my age.”

Alfonse snickered. “And how old are you?”

“...Does it matter?”

“Proving a point.”

Pellegrino grimaced. “Older than you, I can promise.”

“I’d say you’re about a hundred older than me. What is the promising age of adulthood for vampires, anyway?”

“There’s no definite age. It’s just...learning the responsibility and powers of the life of a vampire, really. When you’ve come to understand that, you’re more highly respected.”

“I’ve lived for hundreds of years, and you’re saying I still haven’t done something like that?”

Pellegrino sighed. “Even I catch myself not really following anything Blaine taught me. Respect your local elder in power is the first thing they get through to you. I can’t even communicate that message to my children. It’s…"

“Impossible to respect Belladonna. I understand, really. The woman is quite vile. She’s given my creator hell in the past.”

Pellegrino didn’t doubt it. Belladonna would make hell for anyone she could. The pity he had for Thanatos intensified at that moment, and he slowly moved to make himself more comfortable on the couch as Alfonse finally came to a stop by the table, sliding the old map toward himself, glancing over it with little interest in his eyes. He picked it up, tossing it at Pellegrino, having it land in his lap perfectly. Pellegrino glared at the kid.

“What was that for?”

“Keep that map. You’ll want it. I did promise you an explanation though. I fully intend to give it to you. Now then…” Alfonse came to Pellegrino’s side, sitting next to him on the couch, smoothing out the map more neatly, his delicate pale finger coming to point at a particular location marked in the city. A tourist attraction, it seemed. 

“Opipius lived just by this attraction. Tallest building in the city, and he had a perfect view of it. But the attraction was new, and he was the one who’d gone to great lengths to have it set up. I mean, what are the odds of mining a giant chunk of amethyst like that nearby the city itself? It was beautiful, and he knew it would bring a good impact to the city. A city full of vampires constantly having tourists coming in and out was not only important, but good for business and attention.”

“...Okay. And what does that have to do with anything.”

Alfonse glared at him. “If you’d shut up for once, you’d learn something. Now then… The attraction was supposed to have an opening celebration after a week of it being open to the public. It was quite the success despite it quite literally just being a hunk of a gem. I suppose mortals will eat up anything they see as interesting… Anyway. The night of the celebration, Opipius had fully undergone being crazed. Convenient, right? Once you start the addiction, it’s hard to stop. So that night, when he was supposed to be hosting a wide crowd, he instead went ballistic. He went into the crowd - of mortals, may I remind you - and fed like an animal. And there were almost a thousand people there, including reporters and journalists.”

Pellegrino listened intently. When Alfonse wasn’t being a manipulative little bastard, he could be quite charismatic. 

“He fed...and fed...and fed...until the next day, when he blacked out and woke up, he saw himself, saw all of the damage, and realized he’d gone and exposed what was possibly the worst incident of exposure of vampirekind to have ever existed. Opipius knew that there were newspapers coming out, reports - and he couldn’t let any of it go published. It’d already happened, we were all going to be exposed, and so, as a government official of the city, he put the entire city on lockdown.”

“They listened to him even after he did all of that?”

“No one had any idea it was him. It was near Halloween when it happened, so many people were dressed in costumes. Including him. So he burned the bloodied costume, wiped up all traces of blood in his home, and pretended he was intent on protecting all people in the city. But he had different intentions. Starting with the other people in power in the government, he had them all killed by the loyal vampires within the city. He then turned the vampires on the citizens and tourists. Every single one of them - and there were plenty of them, need I remind you - had to die. The ones who escaped the genocide of the city were said to be the ones who started up slayer factions with the knowledge of the existence of vampires.”

“Why didn’t they try to spread the word?”

“They saw what happened to that city. They knew if they went and exposed vampirekind like that, there was a good chance it would be replicated. However, they have managed to pull in those who believe. By those who were attacked by vampires and lived. Which is why I look down upon you for encouraging your children to be merciful - you might just be adding to their number.”

“They wouldn’t dare speak of it again. And how would the slayers even know they were bitten?”

“I’ve never believed that a slayer has a right mind. They have their ways, and what irritates me to this day is that I’ve never been able to figure out how they expand their number. How they find victims…”

Pellegrino sat his head up a little bit more, letting all of the information sink in. For the first time in a while, this wasn’t just a bunch of rumors. This was the truth. Or so he hoped, but Alfonse seemed to know what he was talking about. It also would explain how quickly the city fell. An entire government dead, and the rest of the city following it. Opipius must have been desperate at that point to have gone that far to protect the secret of vampire society. It was loyalty to the system, but ended up what was, simply, genocide. 

“And what of Opipius now?” Pellegrino asked.

“Hm. That I don’t know, actually. He could still be there. He could have left. He probably saw the mass destruction that he caused and couldn’t stand it. His disappearance is an entire mystery itself. And as for the rest of the city, it is true that at one point slayers came and took it over as a base, which would make sense if they were survivors of the previous destruction of it. But they also wouldn’t have done it if they knew Opipius were still there.”

“So he left?”

“Weren’t you listening? I said I didn’t know. It’s possible they may have removed him themselves, or he left. I really have no idea. And, I’m not even entirely certain what the city is now.” Alfonse sighed, though it was dreamy. “Just to think, a popular city bustling with people...has been reduced to dust! The power of people is amazing.”

“Thousands of people died, Alfonse.”

“And we’re the cause of that. Sure, neither of us were under rule of Opipius at the time, but, ah, don’t vampires kill for food anyway?”

Pellegrino shook his head. “I haven’t.”

“A mistake.”

“Maybe.”

“I do hope your kids learn better.”

“They do not need to be reckless. Don’t you ever envy humans?”

And though he expected Alfonse to laugh his little head off, his expression darkened rather quickly. He leaned forward, ever so slightly, and Pellegrino couldn’t help but stare at his fangs in fear. Eventually, he would be bit again, and though the deal was the deal, he didn’t want it to happen. 

“Envy a human? I’ve never met a human before.”

Pellegrino raised an eyebrow. “You were human before this, though.”

“Me? I was the only human in existence. When I was turned, I felt sorry for the world around me. All these people that you call ‘humans’ - you do know they’re really monsters, right? Because only a monster would do to me what was done to me when I was mortal. No one would help me, either, so I came to the assumption I was in Hell.”

Pellegrino didn’t want to know what he’d gone through when he was mortal. 

“So...everybody out in town tonight...aren’t human to you?”

“I know they’re human, it’s just that I can’t bring myself to _believe_ that’s the truth. Speaking of things like hope, promise, and love… But yet, they are the ones who...who...discard the young like they’re things to be looked down upon… The way they treat children are _gross_. No human would be so _inhuman_ toward their own young.”

Now he definitely didn’t want to know what happened.

“...So...Uh… Is that why you feed off of vampires still?”

Alfonse looked sullen. “I guess so. I’ve tried mortal blood, but it doesn’t give the same thrill as vampire blood does.”

“Eradoth Mordecai permits it?”

“Mm, he didn’t before. Then changed his laws for me. I appreciate it.”

Alfonse paused. “Oh, and thank you for the blood. I actually tried going after Evangeline, but she shut me out completely. Insolent woman would have let me starve for all she cared.”

Alfonse had such intense mood swings. He could go from aggressive, to angry, to calm, to sweet, to affectionate, and then abruptly back to aggressive in seconds. He had such an innocent look on his face, but the words he said from the last time they met lingered in his mind. And not to mention he’s feeding off of him, holding the threat of telling Belladonna things he’d rather not delve into anymore. Alfonse wasn’t innocent. He was manipulative, cruel, and not to mention had a rather disgusting palate.

“You should...head off now,” Pellegrino said softly. “I appreciate the information. This...makes things a little less complicated now.”

Or did it?

“Oh? I have to leave so soon?”

“My children and father will be back sometime soon. I can’t let them see this bite wound either.”

“ ...Ah, alright. Goodbye then.”

And Alfonse turned toward the door, seemingly not offended by the last statement. Pellegrino watched him leave, feeling relief when the door clicked shut behind him. Even if he felt like he’s won Alfonse over a little bit, making him a sort of ally, at the same time, it still made him uneasy to think about how he figured out where Pellegrino lived. Or where Evangeline was staying. Surely Belladonna didn’t just freely give away that information. He might have figured it out beforehand, but then again, from where?

Pellegrino didn’t want to think about it. He honestly should just accept somethings aren’t for him to know or figure out. 

He let his head roll back and touch the couch, the bite wound rubbing up against the fabric of his shirt. It was painful, and he pushed himself quickly up and off the couch. He saw stars the second he tried to move forward, and leaned on the side of the couch for support. He was dizzy, but he couldn’t let anyone see the bite wound. He would also have to change shirts. A shower would do him nicely too, but if he’s going to feed then showering right now wasn’t the best option he had. He just wanted the rest of the night to go okay, to let up on the stress a little more. The information was helpful, but he desperately needed a break from all of the drama.

He found comfort in feeding, so he supposed it wouldn’t be horrible of him to use it as a method to relieve stress.

He walked back to his room, using the walls as support, he slipped his shirt off, leaning over into his drawers to pull out a simple t-shirt, and then moved to the bathroom to open the old box of bandages he ever so rarely ever had to use. Alfonse’s fangs were definitely made to tear and destroy, as when he looked at his shoulder, he couldn’t help but wince at how deep they looked. It was healing, slowly, but he still had a hard time wrapping his head around the idea that he let the little bastard sink his teeth into him and feed off of him. 

But it wasn’t all that bad. He’s got new information to go off of. Somewhat, anyway. The past of the city doesn’t really help him now, as he still can’t determine the threat that awaited him in the near future. Alfonse didn’t know of the present state of the city, but he supposed he appreciated him telling him what he did know. Unless he was holding back information. 

_To hell with it all_ , Pellegrino thought as he made his way to the front door, shoving his keys roughly into his pocket. Stepping out into the open, the cool air hitting his skin, he found happily that he was alone, and Alfonse was nowhere near the house anymore. He shoved his hands in his pockets, still irritated from earlier. 

And to think I wouldn’t be in this mess if I weren’t such a rich asshole.

Well, he wouldn’t be. Hell, maybe if he’d just gone out and drank blood like a normal vampire would, he wouldn’t be in this mess. Quite literally if he never had made such a bad decision to pay a couple of humans for blood, he wouldn’t be wrapped up in all of this. He knew he could be caught eventually, but he also didn’t think it would bring on all of this. 

“Pellegrino!”

A sweet, soft voice chimed from far away. He turned around, almost matching the voice to be Calliope’s, but when he saw a curly short haired brunette walking gracefully toward him, her pink outfit flowing in the soft night breeze, Pellegrino felt his mood lighten a bit. Malantha really did suit the princess complex, with her beautiful soft features and an attitude that was only positive.

“Oh… Malantha.”

“I thought tonight was a wonderful night for a walk, so I up and left… And here you are! I think it’s fated that we share our night together.”

Pellegrino’s first thought was to reject her, as he knew he had to tend to taking care of his own body, but she had such a bright look on her face. She was smiling, happy, giddy - much like a child - and yet still patiently awaited for Pellegrino’s response. He looked down at his feet, wondering if he was cruel enough to reject her, but eventually decided he could do something to take his mind off of things. He was hungry, and his body was weak, so sometime while they were together, he would have to feed.

“I was going to feed tonight, actually…” Pellegrino said softly.

“Oh, you are looking rather pale…” Malantha said, concern suddenly flooding her voice. She suddenly perked up.

_ There really is no bringing this woman down… _

“You could always feed from me.” She offered, a blush on her cheeks. Pellegrino was quickly reminded of what Alfonse had told him the other day, about the quality and power of Malantha’s blood. He quickly shook his head, laughing softly as he raised a hand to run it through his thick, curly hair.

“Heh… Well, it’s not legal for us here to do that.”

“Oh? Really? I didn’t mean to sound like I was trying to get you in trouble…”

_ You’re a bit late to hop onto that train. _

“No, no. It’s fine. How about we go out anyway? I can always feed after I return you safely to where you’re staying. What were you wanting to do?”

Her eyes shined brightly. “I was planning on moon bathing… There’s a full moon tonight. You see it, yes? I wanted to go to the top of a hill and just soak in the moon rays…I’ll even meditate a little...”

It sounded fun. Somewhat. Malantha was odd, but she was just so genuinely sweet, it was hard to hate her for it. He could really use someone like her around all the time, so whenever he was down, she’d just bring him right back up. Nodding, agreeing to go, she grabbed his hand softly, lacing her fingers through his. He was sure it was meant to be a friendly gesture, but he still looked away, feeling his own cheeks heat up as he was tugged along with her. His stomach growled lowly, but he would wait to feed. 

He would allow himself some time to feel like things were fine before they had a chance to prove themselves not to be.

**.** **.** **.**

 

Pellegrino breathed in the fresh air the second he stepped out of the shower, his body feeling much better after he’d gone out and found himself a more-than-tipsy man stumbling behind an ally to feed on. Malantha had shown him how to breathe deeply, forget the world, and be sent off to a place of solitude once they found a place where the moonlight hit the land perfectly. He’d returned her back to the hotel she picked to stay at, but he couldn’t help but feel happy that he decided to go with her. Despite being odd, Malantha was truly a calm and nice girl. They had nice conversation after they were done meditating, just about small things. Like the city he lived in, his house, and some conversation about Calliope and Athan. Pellegrino almost forgot what it was like to feel relaxed before all of this mess. 

The blood he had did taste a bit funny, but he didn’t mind. All that mattered wasn’t the taste, but the fact he was feeling good enough to be up and walking without stumbling so much. He drank as much water as possible beforehand to make his head steady, even if it did little to nothing for him.

When he got back, he found that Calliope and Athan were already home, and Blaine was with them. Pellegrino asked why he hadn’t gone back to the hotel, but he didn’t want to leave them here alone. Apparently Pellegrino’s disappearance had made them unsettled, as neither of them could remember Pellegrino telling them that he was leaving for the night. But upon his return, his kids seemed to relax some, and Blaine seemed to let some tension leave his composure.

The sun was going to rise soon, so his children departed for the night. Having just showered really restored him to his better health, so he quickly slipped on some night clothes, stepping outside of the bathroom. Blaine was waiting in the living room, even if Pellegrino had insisted he didn’t need to stay. He had explained what he went out to do, and though Athan had said he thought he told them he fed a few nights ago, he shrugged his shoulders, laughing awkwardly and quickly lied, saying that he was merely trying to get a good fill before he departed on the mission. He wasn’t sure how many humans he’d find on the way there. 

“You have to be tired, father.” Pellegrino commented as he came into the living room. “It’s getting super late, isn’t it?”

“You’re still up…”

“I’ll wait till you leave.”

Blaine crossed his arms, and Pellegrino felt confused when he gave him an accusingly pointed stare.

“Why did you really go out and feed?”

“Hm? I’m leaving in merely a few days. I need to be sure I’m feeling my best before I go.”

“I don’t think you’re telling the truth.”

Pellegrino could feel the atmosphere tensing up. He looked away from his father as he sat down in the chair, and ignored his father’s stern glare. Blaine had gotten used to Pellegrino’s impulse lying years and years ago, but usually would let it slide. This, for some reason, seemed pretty important to him. 

He didn’t mean to tense up as Blaine stood, walking over to Pellegrino, grabbing him by the front of his shirt, exposing the bandaged wound on his shoulder. He looked at it, then back to Pellegrino, expecting an explanation. One that quickly died on Pellegrino’s tongue the second he opened his mouth to spit out another lie, but with the way his father stood, the way he looked at him, he decided another lie wasn’t the best solution. He sighed, pushing Blaine away from him softly, shaking his head.

“Just let it go, Blaine.”

“What happened?”

“Does it matter?”

“It does to me. I’m sure it would to your kids.”

Of course he would go and say that, only because he knew it would get Pellegrino talking. Pellegrino shot him a sharp glare of his own before he sat back down in the chair, crossing his arms. For a brief moment, he almost felt like the teenager he was before he was turned, with a bratty attitude and a problem with compulsive lying to his parents. He didn’t look at Blaine as he spoke. 

“Alfonse.”

“Alfonse did it?”

“Mm. But, leave him alone. Don’t go crazy or anything.”

“He bit you?”

“Yes…”

“Pellegrino, I cannot allow a - “

“We agreed to a trade. I’d let him have my blood in exchange for information. I learned a lot from him about the past of the city. It was pretty intense, but he had nothing to say about what it is now.”

Blaine didn’t seem too convinced, but Pellegrino managed to sit him down and retell the story Alfonse told him. Blaine listened, though occasionally his eyes would drift to the covered bite wound on Pellegrino’s shoulder. When he finished, Blaine said he was glad he found more out, but at the same time that he didn’t approve of how he obtained it. Pellegrino wanted to hide the fact that at first Alfonse attacked him, but Blaine coaxed the information out of him anyway. To quickly make up for it, he told Blaine about the time he spent with Malantha when he went out to feed, and that after he fed again, he’d felt much better. He was positive that the bite wound would be gone tomorrow at the pace it’s healing at. 

“...The closer the day comes you depart, the more nervous I get. It’s bad enough that we don’t know what you can expect in the city, but you won’t be at your best since you’ve agreed to let Alfonse feed off of you…”

“I don’t think you need to worry so much. I’ll be fine. You know I’ll run away and go elsewhere if things turn out badly.”

Blaine’s expression softened. “I know. I know you’ll do what you can, and I trust you’ll be fine. It doesn’t stop me from thinking she’d go on a bloodhunt for you. Or your children.”

That was something that worried Pellegrino too, but he couldn’t think about it. For long, anyway.  

“Well… I’ll have people with me. We’re supposed to be a team. Although, we may not be the best team, I think we can rely on each other.”

“You sound...very confident saying that.”

Pellegrino gave him a smile. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

Blaine went to reply, to argue back, but Pellegrino raised a hand, successfully silencing him. Standing back up, he mimicked Blaine’s method of comfort by placing a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it softly. 

“Father, go to sleep. What happens… will happen.”

And they should leave it at that, really, but more will come up to add itself onto the building pile of stress in Pellegrino’s head, and no doubt Blaine’s as well. He didn’t even want to think how this might be affecting his children, though as far as they know, he’s leaving to help Belladona out with slayers and help himself out of the charges. They know nothing of the rumors of a torture city, or any of the other details. He didn’t plan on telling them either. He would rather them have a calm mind about things then have them constantly wonder if he was even going to come back alive or not. 

He didn’t even want to begin to think about if he told Akantha all these things. That would be a boiling pot he didn’t want to stir. 

**.** **.** **.**

 

Calliope listened to the conversation going on in the living room just at its entrance, crossing her arms as she listened to the words exchanged between her grandfather and her father. With a sigh, and an uneasy heart, she quietly retreated to Athan’s room, who was patiently waiting for her and her results. They knew from the beginning that something much more was going on, and that their father wasn’t sharing the details at their fullest. Pellegrino was honest most of the time with them, so to think that he’s abruptly holding back all of this information didn’t put either of them at ease. But to hear that Belladonna would specifically hunt both of them out, including their father, if something went wrong sent chills down her spine.

“What did you find out?” Athan asked as soon as Calliope pushed open the door to his room, softly clicking it shut behind her. She didn’t look at him right away, walking over to him to sit on his bed. He was sitting at his desk, anxiously grasping a pencil in his hand. He seemed to have been sketching something out before hand. A blueprint for some new thing he’d created in his head, Calliope was sure of, but didn’t bother asking about it. Her body sunk into the sheets almost immediately. 

“Something’s really wrong.” She finally said.

“No doubt. What is it though?”

“It’s something about South City itself. I don’t know what it is, or what’s wrong, but apparently it’s enough to make dad uncertain of what he’ll find there.”

Athan’s expression darkened, twirling the pencil between his fingers. He shook his leg, bouncing it up and down, as if anxious and hungry for more information.

“That’s it?”

“Athan, whatever happens there… If something goes wrong and dad runs away from it, Blaine said there’s a good chance Belladonna might come after us.”

Unphased by the potential threat, Athan leaned back in his seat, crossing his legs. He couldn’t sit still. “But that’s just if he runs away. What would he find there that would make him run away though? Isn’t it just slayers?”

“By the way they spoke of it, neither of them were too certain that slayers will be what he’ll find there.”

She shifted on the bed, uncomfortable. “And, besides that, apparently there’s someone named Alfonse who attacked dad earlier tonight. But, they agreed to a trade of his blood for information on South City.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Dad looked pretty bothered by it, though.”

Finally, Athan set the pencil down, getting up just to go sit beside of her. 

“So what do we do?”

Calliope shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. I think it’s best that we wait and see what happens… If we rush in there and try to do things on our own, we might make things worse. And what can we do if we know little to nothing about it?”

Athan nodded. “You’re right. But, still… Should we talk to dad about any of this? Maybe there is some way we could help if we just told him we want to.”

“I don’t doubt he’ll tell us to relax. He never wants us to worry.”

“I know that, but…”

Calliope reached out to gently touch Athan’s hand. “We shouldn’t be so up and arms about it right now. We should really be patient.”

“Maybe when he leaves, we can ask Blaine some stuff. He’s staying here while dad’s gone, right?”

“Yeah, he will be. I don’t know if we should ask anything though…”

Athan shook his head, gently stomping his foot against the ground. “I can’t stand not knowing those kind of things, though…”

“I know you can’t, but we should both know when to back off.”

“Maybe, but - “

“Athan.” Calliope said, effectively cutting him off. She finally drew her hand away from his. In the very distance, the sun was beginning to rise. The sky was ever so softly pink and gold, mixing in with the dark colors of the night.

“Go to sleep. We both need it.”

Athan didn’t seem like he wanted to comply, but quickly kicked off his shoes, letting them hit the floor with soft thumps. Calliope rose from her seat on the bed, deciding to go to bed as well. She opened Athan’s door heading toward her own bedroom, walking as quietly as possible. When she reached her room, she closed the door behind her, slipping her own shoes off. She felt bad for listening in on her dad’s conversation, but after being left in the dark for a while and feeling the atmosphere of the house get darker, more tense, it kind of got hard to deny the fact even she had to know what was going on at this point. 

It wasn’t like he hadn’t left the both of them in the dark before, anyway.  


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akantha calls Pellegrino out on his shit. Pellegrino realizes he might have a problem.

Sometimes, it felt good to be a vampire.

Pellegrino stood on top of the tallest building in the city. He was good enough to make himself concealed from the people below, but his eyes were locked on the distant moon in the sky. He took a deep breath, the air up here much colder than it was below. The wind whipped past his body, its sting sharp, but he let his head lean to the side, embracing it. Tomorrow would be the day he had to leave, and it only just hit him tonight about how unconfident he was about it. Belladonna sent him another letter, explaining that she expected him to be there first thing next morning. Meaning, being awake right now was pointless. He was going to be exhausted when he had to go, seeing as he was nocturnal.

His gaze lowered to the ground far underneath him, and frowned upon sight of it. He could let go of his grasp on this building, let himself fall however many stories this building was up, hit the ground head-on, and still not die. It wouldn’t even fracture his skull. If it cut up his skin, it would heal minutes later. He looked down at his free hand, clenching it into a fist. A droplet of rain hit his cheek, followed by a few more before it began to pick up.

For a second, even if the thought scared him, he almost thought he wouldn’t mind it if the fall would kill him. He didn’t know why, but it almost saddened him to think that he couldn’t be killed by normal means anymore. A jump from the high heavens, bleeding out, and sickness were stuff he didn’t have to worry about anymore. Even if he could feel pain, it almost felt pointless to feel it if it meant nothing for him. He was, reduced to simplicity, a freak of nature among a broken community of freaks of nature. Hell, how he got up here to this building was completely unnatural. Hopping around inhumanly, leaping higher than anything you’d ever see. It wasn’t hard, or tiring.

He couldn’t be thinking like this before he left.  

He needed to get down from here anyway. He carefully jumped from edge to edge, downward, until his feet safely touched the ground. He tilted his head all the way back up to look at where he was just standing, feeling his shoulders sink as he moved away from the building. Maybe even after almost 400 years of being alive he was finally beginning to regret the decision he had made to make the transformation. Maybe it was melodramatic of him to start regretting it now, because he sure as hell wasn’t when he inherited all of the money his family had when they died. Nor was he regretting it when he was frivolously spending it on things he’s always desired. He wasn’t regretting it up until now, when his decisions came back to bite him in his ass.

He moved with the crowd, moved with the flow of people until he was passing by the bar he and Akantha met up at often. He wondered briefly if she was in there, but found that his feet were moving on their own toward the bar. Pushing the door open, hearing the late chattering of a few drunken men lingering around inside, he looked over the place, wondering if he’d spot her somewhere.

To his surprise, she was there. Alone. She was quietly sipping something with a pink tint, legs crossed and messy blonde hair shoved up into a ponytail. With a smile on his face, he moved across the bar, avoiding eye contact with other people in the building, coming to sit in front of her. She raised her eyes upward, unamused at first until she recognized Pellegrino’s features. She still didn’t seem too happy.

“I’m leaving tomorrow.” Pellegrino said.

“Nice of you to tell me.”

“You’re not mad, are you?”

Her tone of voice gave away she was clearly bothered by something, but she shook her head slowly. She brought the glass back up to her lips, taking another quick sip before setting it back down.

“You have any idea how long you’re gonna be gone?”

“No, not at all. I... don’t even know if I’ll come back at all.”

“What do you mean by that?”

She didn’t know of the rumors. He wasn’t going to tell her.

“It’s a lot of stuff, Akantha. But I don’t think it’s anything that’ll kill me.”

“So you’re just gonna tell me something like that and then not explain it? It’s just a few slayers - how could they possibly prevent you from coming back?”

He couldn’t explain it. He didn’t know what to tell her. He scolded himself for even bringing it up. He glanced down at her glass of alcohol, and suddenly felt a need to have one himself. He’d order one, but he knew he shouldn’t be drinking the night before he left. He would have to tell his kids goodbye before they went to bed tonight, because they wouldn’t be awake for when he left. The idea boggled his head, thinking that he may have to say goodbye to them for the last time, and he felt a sharp pain run through his head. His cheeks warmed up, his lips twitched in a frown, and -

“Grin? You’re crying.”

He didn’t notice it right away, but he put his hand up to touch his cheek, pulling away with fresh tears on his fingers.

“O...Oh…”

“Are you... okay? You don’t look so good.” Akantha commented, straightening up in her seat a little.

Pellegrino laughed. “Me? Oh… I’m... fine, thank you.”

“Don’t lie to me. You really don’t look good. Maybe you should go home and lay down or something - “

“I’m fine, Akantha!” Pellegrino shouted, throwing his hands up, drawing attention of the nearby people. Though not many looked, as most were either ogling at another person they were sitting with or enraptured in another conversation. He cleared his throat, sheepishly running his hand through his hair before lowering his head to the table, taking a deep breath.

“I’m… fine, okay?”

“...Pellegrino…” She whispered to herself, entirely unsure of how to react. She finished off her drink, opened up her purse and slapped some money down onto the table. She reached over and gently touched his hand, nodding her head in the direction of the door. He hesitated, but slid off of the chair, following her lead as she walked outside of the bar. He ignored the stares of the people who had been looking at the pair before, deciding to keep his focus on her. The second she had him pulled outside of the bar, she pulled her hand away from his, not turning around right away.

But when she did, her hand whistled through the air, making contact with his right cheek.

“You have some nerve not to tell me things.” She hissed out into the air of the night, her eyes sharp as knives. They cut right through his defenses and instantly made him back down, holding his hands up in the air, as if silently trying to come up with a reply. One hand gently touched his own cheek, feeling the warmth of the sting on his palm.

“What, am I not important to you anymore?”

“Wh...What? Akantha, you’re a friend I’ve had since I first came to America - what, four hundred years ago? Why would you suddenly be not be important to me?”

She crossed her arms, fidgeting, looking away.

“You’re just - you haven’t been yourself. Not since you’ve had those kids.”

“So I decided to turn two kids one night into vampires, and suddenly, I’m different? Don’t blame my children for something they aren’t responsible for.”

“You’re just - you’re dishonest.”

He gave her a surprised look, raising his eyebrows.

“When have I ever been dishonest with you?”

“It’s more than just being dishonest with me, Pellegrino. It’s you lying to Blaine, your kids, Belladonna, and not to mention probably yourself. You’re constantly trying to hide things and it’s - it’s honestly - you’re so _different_. You were never like this before. Not before you had those kids. That’s when it started.”

He wanted to deny it, but he knew he couldn’t. He failed for words once more and he finally lowered his hand away from his cheek, balling it into a fist. Another tear forced its way out of the corner of his eyes and he didn’t bother to wipe it away, allowing it to drip down his face. She huffed loudly, trying to visibly relax, but obviously couldn’t. He wanted to apologize but knew it was pointless.

“I need - I don’t - I don’t know what to do anymore.” Pellegrino finally said. Akantha looked him in the eyes.

“Then tell me what’s going on. Tell me so you don’t just carry this shit around with you. I told you, Pellegrino, I care about you and what happens to you. So just - be honest with me.”

And he wanted to deny her, tell her it was none of her business, but Pellegrino was hit with the blunt realization that if he didn’t tell her now, he might never have the chance again. His life was not safe out on this mission, and that entire idea just defeated the fucking purpose of being a vampire in the first place. You were never supposed to be sad. You were always safe, protected, you got what you want when you wanted it - and just this, a bad decision, just made him a mere mortal again, constantly wondering if he would survive through the next day without problems.

After more than 400 years of being alive, being immortal, he found himself to be reduced to the nineteen year old he was when he turned - confused and afraid - searching for answers and comfort about his life. He felt awful shoving it off all on Akantha, but he just merely moved forward, lowering his head to touch Akantha’s shoulder. She tensed up for a moment, as if not expecting him to comply so easily. She moved a hand to his shoulder, taking a deep breath.

“Tell me.”

“I can’t.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, but Pellegrino sensed her own defenses falling. She acted like she had something to say, and if she really did, she bit her tongue and held back. Her hand slipped away, and she backed away from him. A sense of abandonment settled in Pellegrino’s heart the second the friendly, comforting contact went away. Akantha didn’t make eye contact, crossing her arms and looking down at the ground, as if trying to think of something that would make up for the lack of reassurance she couldn’t provide.

She suddenly shook her head.

“Then you’re on your own. If anyone ever tells you you're a good person, just know that they're trying to flatter you.”

“Y...You can’t be that mad at me, can you?”

She took a deep breath, the gentle breeze of the night brushing through her hair.

“I don’t know you anymore.”

Akantha turned on her heel, probably intending to walk away. Pellegrino’s heart hurt, and ached worse the second he remembered he may never see her again. As if trying to reach for her, to reassure her that the ‘he’ she was remembering was still there, he called for her.

“Akantha - “

“Don’t even try it, Pellegrino. You’ve got my number. Call me when you’re not a complete lying asshole.”

But I didn’t even lie this time, he thought to himself as she was swept away into the growing crowds of the night. He slowly put his hand over his heart, the ache new, reminding him after years of not experiencing it what pain was.

Now he really felt lost. The closest friend he’s had just turned her back on him.

And the sad part was that he didn’t blame her for doing it. She was right to have turned her back on him.

Feeling his head clouded more than it was, he touched his forehead, a sharp pain running through it. He knew he really should go to bed right now. Maybe some sleep would help him feel better. He didn’t know. He’s never had to ‘sleep it off’ in hundreds of years, so who knew if it was going to even be helpful. He couldn’t remember the relief it brought when he was mortal. He couldn’t remember a lot of what he’d shoved aside as a mortal.

He walked home, his head in a daze. Opening the front door only to find that the house was empty was both a relief yet worrisome. Calliope and Athan must have left for a little bit, but he wasn’t sure where to. They usually told him where they were going before leaving, so it was odd in itself, but if anything were wrong, he would know. He, after three years of being their creator/father, had come to grow instincts. If they weren’t back in a few hours, he’d search them out, but all he could do now was walk slowly to his room, shutting the door behind him.

The only way he could describe how he felt was “lost”. As he walked home, shouldering through the crowds, it was like he was distant from his own body. His mind felt fogged up and his thoughts so quiet he almost couldn’t process them. He supposed he would be feeling better if he actually knew what he was getting into, but of course, why would it be easy on him?

It’s been years since he’s been this pessimistic. He can’t remember a day that’s gone by where he hasn’t felt great in the time he’s been alive.

He supposed all good things come to an end.

He laid himself down on the bed, taking a deep breath, staring at the moon in the sky before letting his body sink into the plush material of the bed. It was weird to think it was the same moon he saw years and years ago in Italy. It was the same sky, the same stars, and possibly the only thing that remained constant in his years of immortality.

Unlike the rest of the world around him, of course.

**.** **.** **.**

 

_Pellegrino woke with a start the moment a hand softly touched his back. He raised his head, his skull pounding, realizing that once again he’d fallen asleep hovering over a book the night previous. Turning his head, his mother laughed with a warm smile on her face, gently moving her hand to fix some of his messy hair. He was sure it was a mess, but reached his hand to the back of his head to pull down the string he used to tie back his hair. It wasn’t tremendously long, barely enough to tie it back, but it was enough._

_“You really should balance out your studies,” his mother said, stepping away from his desk as Pellegrino stood and set out to organize it. “That’s the third time you’ve fallen asleep at your desk recently. And, you didn’t eat dinner earlier...”_

_“Ah, I’m really sorry. It’s just that I got caught up in the - “_

_“In all of the reading. Yes, yes, I know. But you’re already looking quite pale, Pellegrino. You need to eat more often. And you should really consider moving to your own bed when you’re tired.”_

_“But I was almost finished.”_

_“You’ll fall over before you do anything with all this studying of yours. Remember when you fainted while helping your father at work that day? Do you really want that to happen again?”_

_Pellegrino pouted. “I was just dizzy, is all. It was really hot.”_

_“You couldn’t stand afterward. You made me worried sick.”_

_Pellegrino winced at her tone. He laughed awkwardly, running a hand through his fluffy, thick hair, and then looked out the window. The moon hung high up in the sky, full as possible, shining down at the land below with pale light. He looked toward his bed, and then to his mother, before reaching a hand up to touch his head. It hurt badly, and something felt almost weird about this. Like he’d been here before._

_And then it hit him that his mother had been dead for well over a few hundred years now. He looked to her, and her smiling face, and sighed. Not even in his dreams could he escape the stress of life. She still had that angelic glow to her she always did. He always found his mother to be a beautiful woman, with her long auburn locks that she typically braided down her back. Her skin fair and pretty, but always stained with dirt from the long days she worked. He loved it because he remembered it to be_ **_her_ ** _and what she was like. He was familiar with it._

_“...Oh.”_

_“Is something wrong?”_

_Pellegrino sighed. “Other than the fact I lied to you and father before I left for America, a lot of other things.”_

_“It’s been so long since that happened, Pellegrino. Don’t you think you should move on?”_

_“I did. Or at least, I thought I did. It was never a big deal to me at first but nowadays, I just start to think about you and father. And then I realize… what exactly I’ve done to my life.”_

_“You made the decision. Didn’t I teach you to be proud of what you do?”_

_“You did, but now… everything is turning on me.”_

_His mother shook her head._

_“You were always so certain of what you were doing. And now, suddenly, you just don’t know what to do with your life?”_

_“I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m even doing anymore. It’s like nothing out there supports me.”_

_His mother snickered._

_“You’ve always been so dramatic, my son, but I’ve never seen you get this bad. You’re being sent off to somewhere scary and mysterious. Shouldn’t that be more of an adventure than something to be worried about?”_

_“Maybe. But it’s scary. Scary to think I won’t come back to people I love. But it’s kind of unfair, because...that isn’t the way I felt when I left you all. I was a horrible person.”_

_“Everybody lies. I’ve lied in my lifetime. Does that make me a horrible person?”_

_“Everybody tells white lies, mother. I told you I was going to America to be a businessman. I became a monster instead.”_

_A frown touched his mother’s lips. She shook her head, her long braid gracefully swishing with her movements. She moved forward just as Pellegrino sat at the chair, lowering his head into his hands. He thought dreaming was a time in daily life that you could get away from stress. He didn’t think the world would be cruel enough to mock him by bringing him to the past, to replay a scene from the very day he’d met Blaine and had the offer of being turned presented to him, only for him to realize he was dreaming._

_“You must be speaking to me from beyond the dead.” Pellegrino said with a soft smile._

_“You can live for eternity and I can die, but I will be damned the moment I won’t come to the aid of my child when he’s in distress.”_

_Pellegrino shook his head. “You’re too good of a mother for me. What kind of son lies to his parents, turns into a beast, and then inherits all of their riches to spend frivolously?”_

_“You’re learning though. You’ve made mistakes, so isn’t it easier to realize what you’re doing wrong so you can fix it?”_

_“I can’t fix what I did to you and Felice.”_

_His father, to be more accurate. Annalisa and Felice. The two names he hadn’t thought of in a long time. Rarely they ever surfaced to the front of his mind, but recently it was becoming more frequent. But as he’d thought of before, he definitely wasn’t having so many issues with his life when there weren’t any issues._

_“I’m here now, aren’t I? You could fix it.”_

_Pellegrino felt the corner of his mouth twitch up into another smile. He didn’t know if this was truly his mother visiting him in spirit through the form of his dream, or if she was just made up by his dreams, but it still made him raise his head, meeting her eyes. Bright sky blue eyes greeted him in return, filled with love and warmth. The color was beautiful, and he distantly remembered the time when he had eyes like that. The blue he was born with, altered to a bright gold when he was turned. It was the same with Calliope and Athan, as both had the gold color he had. It was a trait passed down from creators to their children._

_Pellegrino reached out to touch his mother’s hand. She was warm, alive, and soft. She felt real. He hated being aware that this was a dream. Maybe he should have let the day play out like it had._

_He clutched her hand softly in his, and she knelt down, running her hand through his hair in the comforting manner she had back when he was still in Italy, and she was still alive. She smiled._

_“I’m sorry.” He finally said, his voice barely a whisper. “You deserved a son better than me.”_

_“It’s too late to regret what you’ve done. But at least I know I’ve raised you well.”_

_Pellegrino met her eyes again, curious._

_“I’ve raised a son to apologize when he should. And sometimes, that’s too much to ask out of people.”_

_“How do I… How do I fix everything else? I can’t tell my children the truth of how they came to be with me. I can’t tell Blaine that either. I can’t… I can’t say a lot of things.”_

_“You can. If you keep lying about it, then it gets worse.”_

_It was typical advice from a parent, but hearing those words from his mother sounded so wise and inspiring. He hadn’t spoken strictly in his mother tongue in so long either, so it was comforting. Familiar. He’d sometimes slip into Italian, but he couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a lengthy conversation in it._

_“You’ve given yourself eternity, Pellegrino. Isn’t that enough time to fix things?”_

_More than enough._

_“Yes. It is. More than enough. But Akantha sounded really mad at me… Would it be wrong to call her right away? I can’t do it tomorrow.”_

_“You could just do what you did now.”_

_“Huh?”_

_“Apologize. And then explain to her why you don’t want to say anything. You’ve grown quite the habit of lying, and so generally it might make you more comfortable to tell her why you don’t want to say anything rather than forcing yourself to tell the truth.”_

_She made it sound like something was wrong with him, but it was exactly as Akantha had said earlier on. He was a liar. He was really a liar in every sense. In some way, shape, or form, as the days went by, he lied about something. And it didn’t even begin to register in him the things he’d been lying about until now. Like the place he bought to use as a storage unit. He told his kids that it was previously owned by a person who fixed cars. It wasn’t. It was used to store junk._

_And it got worse the more he thought about it. The little lies he thought that weren’t much really came to the front of his mind, and made him widen his eyes. Akantha was right about lying to himself as well. She was right about the lying. He was entirely doing it unconsciously, and it became worse when he realized he found comfort in it. Because for some reason having people know the truth became uncomfortable to him. His mother grew a look of sympathy in her eyes._

_“You should start now before it’s too late,” she told him, patting his shoulder. It wasn’t until his vision around the corners of his eyes began to fade out that he felt panic tighten in his chest. He shook his head._

_No, no, not just yet - !_

**.** **.** **.**

 

Pellegrino sat up on his bed the second he woke up. He looked around his room, at the moon, then at his clock. He hadn’t been asleep for more than an hour and a half, but the dream was enough to shake him to his core. He swung his feet over the edge of the bed, pushing himself off of it, and made his way throughout the house, curious to see if Calliope and Athan were back. If there was one thing he had to do immediately after that dream, it was to see them. He walked into the living room, relieved to see both of them on the couch.

“Oh, hey dad.” Calliope said casually. “Did you get everything together for tomorrow?”

“Uh… No, not quite. I’ll do it in a little bit.” He replied, scratching the back of his head. His kids passed glances between one another, both of them somewhat nervous. Calliope moved her eyes away.

“Everything okay?” Athan asked, leaning forward a bit, drawing his eyes away from the TV.

“I...just needed to tell you two something.”

And he instantly had their full attention. Did they catch on to his lying too? Did they not want to say anything?

“I wanted to apologize to you both.”

“Why?” They asked at the same time, briefly exchanging glances. They were nervous about something

“I… I… can’t tell you right now. It’d be awful of me to tell you and then leave for the city tomorrow. But just… just to let you know… before you know, that I’m really sorry.”

He couldn’t meet their eyes. He couldn’t look at them. But if he knows himself, he knows how to do things right, he knows he’s telling the truth this time. He is sorry. He feels sorry. He knows he’s sorry. It was all he had to say for now, and the fact he apologized was enough for him. A good start. There was a lot more he had to make up for, and a lot more to prepare himself for, but it was good. It was what his mother wanted, at least. For him to be honest. And he was honest this time.

Now he had a reason to be sure he came back from this mission alive. To be sure he saw through the day he told everyone every truth he tried to hide, no matter how big or small the lie was.


End file.
